Gods & Demigods Don't Mix
by makinseyrenee
Summary: Thirteen was an unlucky number. But Calais was a lucky person, despite the fact that she was the thirteenth member of her family. She was golden, everyone loved her and everyone respected her. Things go sour when her world begins to crumble beneath her feet and all the people she has worked so hard to protect begin to fade away. And the voices in her head certainly don't help.
1. The Beginning

There are stories. And then there are stories that are true. The Grimm fairytales are stories. The mythologies of Greece are not stories. The Grecian gods are in fact, very real. They are alive and they move along with the Western Civilization. First was Greece itself, then Rome, Germany, France, Spain, Great Britain and then, finally, The United States of America. As the flow of civilization changed, so did the gods. Zeus became Jupiter, Artemis became Diana, so on and so forth. But one stayed the same, this one goddess never changed. Unlike the other gods, her personality stayed the same throughout time. But she was no ordinary goddess. She had a small shrapnel of humanity. Not because she was so linked with her charges, the ones she was due to protect, but because she had been human for eighteen years before becoming a goddess. Not a half-blood, a full human.

Calais was the daughter of a king, one highly favored in the eyes of the gods. He was a good king who did everything for the good of his kingdom. He negotiated out of wars and gave money to the poor. He married a princess from another kingdom to stop a war and make peace. Nine months later, what was supposed to be a strong son, was a strong daughter. Hera, queen of the gods and goddess of family and marriage, saw how much the favored king adored and loved his daughter. She, along with all of the other gods, blessed the child with their favor. But, unbeknownst to them, they blessed her with their powers.

Calais was raised, for the next eighteen years, as a diplomatic, kind princess who was also an excellent swordsman. Her hand was sought in every kingdom of Greece, every prince wanted her to be his wife. She found one she fell in love with, Perseus and they became betrothed. He was granted a quest from his father, Zeus, to save the kingdom of Aethiopa from a sea serpent and went away. Calais got word not soon after, from the goddess of love, that Perseus had married Andromeda. Drunk with rage, Calais was taken to Aethiopa by the god of war and with his help, she destroyed the kingdom with fire. For some reason, Perseus, Andromeda and the other royals were spared, along with many commons.

But Calais was sentenced death immediately. Her people could do nothing. So she accepted her fate. The king had the Minotaur captured and brought to his kingdom to kill the foreign princess. But just as soon as the Minotaur charged at the princess, she vanished. She was not seen again for years.

She was transported to Olympus, home of the gods. Aphrodite claimed that her actions had been of heartbreak and were therefore, excused. Hera agreed, which made the others agree as well. Except Zeus. No one could sway the decision that the girl had to die. She was too powerful. No mortal should have the power of a god. Or tens of gods for that matter. Then, from the shadows, came Hades. He provided substantial proof that the girl should live, and live forever. She had been unknowingly blessed for a reason, so she should live to find it out. Hades hated mortals. Zeus, almost moved by his elder brother's speech, granted the princess immortality as a goddess among them. Her duty was to protect their legacy. Match them with mortals, create the demigod offspring that would ensure the survival of Greece. She accepted.

And that was how a mortal, a mere mortal princess, became the eternal goddess Calais, protector of mortals and demigods, owner of the Thrice-Blessed Blade and favorite of all the gods and goddesses around her. But this is not the story of how she lived and became of goddess. This is the story of how she was a goddess and how she died.


	2. Chapter 1

The arrow flew from the bow and landed right in the center of the target. The girl lowered the bow and popped her neck. Concentrating too hard left her body stiff. "That's how you shoot a bow kids." Luke Castellan, one of the camp's counselors and leader of the Hermes cabin, chuckled. He was supposed to be instructing the younger ones on how to shoot a bow, but he called in a favor.

"You're dismissed to lunch." The girl said, placing the bow in the quiver. The kids scattered, running towards the pavilion. She smiled at Luke, a smile that was brighter than the sun.

"They love you." Luke said, picking up stray arrows. Calais laughed. "I love you." He said, hugging her from behind.

She snorted and pushed him away. "That's what you say." Her golden eyes glittered. No one in her family had golden eyes but her. They were a reminder of what the Oracle said she was to help accomplish. But no one knew what that was, not even Apollo himself.

"It's what I mean." He said sternly.

She smiled and let him embrace her again. "I love you too." She said back. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She pulled away and raised her watch. "I've got to go exercise Mortem before lunch ends. I'll see you at the lake." She kissed his cheek and ran off, the wind whipping at her short ginger hair.

They both knew a relationship would not be easy. It was one thing to date another demigod, or a mortal even, but to date a demigod while you were a goddess? Unheard of. Especially when Calais Montague (a last name she adopted for house calls) was the goddess of demigods. And even more odd when her last relationship with a demigod had resulted in the wrecking of a city, her death sentence and her eventual level up to being a goddess. But, despite all bumps in the road that had passed or were to come, neither one complained. Simply for the fact that both Luke Castellan and Calais Montague were insanely in love with each other.

And every single inhabitant of Camp Half-Blood knew it. To some (every cabin but the Aphrodite cabin), it was a sickening sight, watching the two lovebirds walk to the dock or engage in a duel or, gods forbid, kiss each other anywhere. But to the sons and daughters of love itself, it was a sight to be seen. The Aphrodite cabin was like the paparazzi whenever the couple (Lukais, they had been officially deemed) was near them. They whipped out their notepads and disposable cameras and did whatever they could in the short amount of time they had. And then, the worst part, they turned their information over to the Hermes cabin. Sons and daughters of the thieving messenger god himself. And they, in turn, worked their magic.

Camp Half-Blood, for some unknown reason, had a newspaper. Yes. A bunch of teenage demigods and Grecian creatures, had a newspaper report. One day. Certain Hermes kids were overly dedicated to the newspaper that circulated the camp. They recruited one 'lucky' kid from every other cabin so each cabin would have a page in the paper. And then it was published. The Hermes cabin had to be renovated so there could be a place to properly work and edit and publish the paper. Even though no one cared to see Lukais in public, they loved reading about it. The Aphrodite kid that wrote the page on love, love advice and beauty tips really knew how to describe and make it interesting.

Calais arrived at the stables where the winged horses were kept. In the very back, isolated from his brethren, was Mortem. The others were afraid of him, she had known that for a very long time. But it pained her that he could not interact with his own kind. His father never showed up. She walked to his stable, larger than the others and much cleaner too, and tossed him a sugar cube. Or rather, a sugar box. The pegasus ate more than any other one she knew of. He was big, taller than most and much more different. He radiated power. His father was the Pegasus, immortal lord of all the pegasus kind.

Mortem was a baby though, despite the intimidating look and all the stomping around he did. His sleek coat reflected every surface, whenever he so pleased. So Calais didn't have to rely on the Mist to cover her flying horse. He did it himself. Whenever he wasn't camouflaging, Mortem kept his coat dark black, almost blue and purple. His hooves were a startling white, with a bright white triple edged sword mark along both his sides.

The story surrounding the unique weapon was an eternal legend. It was the only triple edged sword ever to exist in the history of the world, and it was magic. Zeus had it crafted for Calais in the best Cyclops forge, making sure it was the best weapon for his new goddess. The Cyclops did not, however, mention that Zeus' brothers also wanted Calais to have the best sword. Zeus insisted on Imperial gold, Hades wanted Stygian iron and Poseidon demanded Celestial bronze. Not wanting a fight between the brothers, the Cyclops forged a triple edged sword, each edge made of one of the blessed metals. The sword appeased all three of the gods and was a perfect fit of Calais. She could wield it perfectly and it transformed into a bone ring on her finger. Not just any bone. A piece of the Minotaur's horn that was blasted off when the gods called her to Olympus.

Calais reached over the barrier and ruffled the creature's snout. "I think we should fly today. Where would you like to go? I personally have always enjoyed Montana this time of year." She said as she undid the barrier. The horse whinnied. Good thing Poseidon allowed her to communicate with horses.

_I hate Montana. It's so…plain. Ooh! We should do the Empire State Building. There's a nice breeze today, I heard from a wind spirit. _She considered it. New York was pretty this time of year, she did live there all the time. It also wasn't far so Dionysus couldn't say much about it. And she did love looking up at Olympus. Not to mention Montana was a bit boring. She beckoned her pet from the stable and didn't bother saddling him. He hated being restrained. She climbed on top of him. He could feel her emotions, connect with them. Their bond was one that needed no words. He was wind, he was the air. His wings always caught air just the right way, so they felt like nothing as they flew. They almost ran into a storm but Zeus blew it off course, for sake of his favorite girl.

Calais, though she would never admit it out loud, loved being spoiled by the gods. It was nothing like how her parents had spoiled her when she was mortal. They had wanted to possess her, keep her forever and use her. The gods loved her. They were family, in a sense. All they wanted was her acceptance and they had it. Never would she have thought she would turn out a goddess, one of them. Worshipped and loved by all.

Mortem neighed, a stressed sound she didn't hear often from him. He was telling her that something was wrong here, they needed to turn back. And she didn't blame him. She had been to the building hundreds of times, they were just on Olympus days ago for a field trip. But something was different now. Dark clouds gathered at the top of the building. Curiosity got the best of her. She instructed Mortem to land and he did. She weaved the Mist, causing herself to look like a blind girl and Mortem was her seeing-eye dog.

She walked into the building. "Miss, can we help you?" A security guard regarded her cautiously. Good, she thought. He was tall, stocky with a Taser and baton.

"I'm going to the sixth hundredth floor." She said easily. Mortem sneezed. He never liked the Mist much. The guard saw right through her illusion.

"Of course, madam. They've been expecting you." He led her to the elevator, as one might do for a blind girl and pressed the up button for her. "Good luck. Zeus is in a mood." He whispered to her as she stepped inside and the doors shut. There was a nice smile on her lips. She didn't need luck.

The ride to the sixth hundredth floor was a drag. No mortals used the elevator, but six hundred floors was a lot. Once there, she told Mortem to go back to Camp. She'd find a way home. The horse flew off, his coat attempting to blend in perfectly. Calais made her way to the throne room, passing by a naiad meadow where several of the water spirits were laughing with satyrs. Each of the Olympians was present, minus Hades who never liked the formal meetings. They each sat in their respective throne, whispering quietly to one another.

The first to look up was Apollo. His bright eyes and even brighter smile lit up the whole room. He was, for once, wearing the formal godly attire of a white toga and something golden. "The princess has arrived!" He said, still grinning. That got everyone to shut up. They all stared at her. Aphrodite smiled kindly, pushing her blond hair behind her shoulders.

"Finally, someone with some sense." Artemis sighed, rearranging her bow on her back. Hera stood and went to welcome Calais properly. She kissed her on both cheeks and held her out to look at her.

"Your cheeks are sunburnt. We must tell Chiron not to let you wander outside all day. And Apollo," her voice suddenly turned very stern, "tone it down. You'll ruin her complexion." Hera smiled sweetly and hugged Calais. This happened every time. If there was a blemish on her cheek, Hera blamed Aphrodite. Sunburns went to Apollo.

"Oh, enough Hera. Let the girl breathe." Zeus waved his hand. Hera stepped back reluctantly. Zeus beckoned Calais forward and she walked. "So you sensed the trouble. And your horse was smart enough to suggest bringing you here." He stated.

Poseidon laughed deeply. "I knew the pegasus was a good idea! You're welcome, Calais!" Zeus shot his brother a stern look. But Poseidon still laughed.

Calais took one of Zeus' smaller bolts. "Something's been stolen?" He nodded. Who would steal something from the gods? That was suicide in the making. Not to mention stupidity on the thief's part.

"My master bolt is missing. We suspect Hades took it when he was last here." Zeus told her. Hades? Surely not. He couldn't take it anyways. It was law.

"The campers were here the last time Hades was. Perhaps-." Her sentence was cut off by a swirl of black smoke. She turned, a slight smile on her lips. Hades was standing in the doorway, the angriest expression on his face.

"You forget, brother, that my helm was also stolen. Therefore, it could not have been me." Hades walked forward. He stopped by Calais' side and patted her shoulder. "You look good, kid." He said. She didn't have favorites, but if she did, Hades would be it.

"Perhaps you have hidden it so you will have a cover-up for taking my bolt!" Zeus shouted. And then there was an argument. Having them all in the same room was never a good idea. And Ares amplified it. Finally, Calais got them all to be quiet and settle down.

"I was saying that perhaps a camper took both the helm and the bolt, merely as a trick. You know how children are. Maybe whoever took is trying to prove himself to you, show he's a hero worthy of anything." Calais' words were moving, there was no doubt. But they all knew she favored the half-gods too much for her own good.

"Then you go back to the camp you call home and search everywhere. There will be no rest until my bolt is found." Zeus said, his voice rumbling like the thunder. Calais rolled her eyes slightly. "I'll do the best I can." She told him.

Hera told Dionysus to accompany Calais home. She didn't want the girl travelling by herself in New York. Dionysus led Calais to the elevator. She wanted scones and wanted to talk. They exited the Empire State Building disguised as a girl and her father, or rather, themselves. Dionysus was not her father, but the form he took looked old enough to be. "Hera acts like I can't take care of myself. You are all so smothering." Calais said. Dionysus rolled his eyes.

"Hera's only glad she finally has a child that isn't a complete screw-up. Even if you've been around for centuries." Dionysus told her. Calais didn't think Ares and Hephaestus were screw-ups. So Ares had a bit of a temper and Hephaestus wasn't what Hera wanted him to be. So what? They were both good at what they did. She should be proud of them.

Calais stepped inside a small coffee shop and paid for her own scone. The barista winked at her. A wood nymph. She should have known by the all organic menu. "Nice to see you out of that camp, Calais." The wood nymph was named Azalea. She had short, cropped white lavender hair and cat-like green eyes.

Calais smiled as she wrapped up the scone in a napkin. "You know me, I don't believe in sick days. And I can't seem to leave Luke alone." Calais' lips automatically widened into a bigger smile when she said his name. Azalea nodded as she handed a customer a coffee.

"Still together, then? Adorable, but heart-breaking for every poor boy that's still in love with you." Calais snorted. She was lucky enough to get Luke, she doubted there was anyone else dying to date her. Dionysus tapped on the window impatiently. Oh, he hated mortals. Calais said good-bye to Azalea and walked out.

"Honestly," she started unwrapping the scone, "you could let me socialize." Her voice wasn't bitter, but that's how he took it. He said nothing and the next second, they were inside the Big House. Chiron was pacing, waiting for them.

"Good. You're back." He said. Oh, he was cross with Calais. She could feel it. "You should have said you were leaving." He motioned for her to sit and she did. She took a small bite of her scone. She decided not to reply. That would only make him angrier. "What did they say on Olympus? Is there a reason for the unpredictable weather? Or is Zeus only upset with one of them again?" Chiron asked, pouring himself a glass of tea.

Zeus being cross with another god wasn't unusual. They were all familiar with that. "Someone stole his master bolt. He vows that there will be no rest until it is found." Dionysus said. Chiron stayed silent. He knew the importance of the king's weapon.

"And Hades' helm." Calais reminded. She didn't like when they left Hades out. He was just as important. Without him, there would be souls everywhere, restless dead. Chiron nodded. "I think it was a camper. Someone trying to prove his worth to the gods. Or playing a helpless trick. I'm going to search all the cabins." She finished half of the scone and tossed the rest in the trash. She stood up and walked out of the Big House.

She announced, in a very loud voice, there would be a random cabin inspection. All of sudden, scared and half confused, every camper ran out of their cabin and stood in two straight lines per cabin. Except the Hermes cabin, who had four lines, at the least. She never could tell, they all blurred together. They all stared at her, every camper, eyes wide, faces slack with confused emotions. Were they in trouble? Why was she so angry? She never got angry.

"This is not a routine inspection. You are not to go anywhere while I search the cabins. Move, and you will be punished." She sounded like a dictator. Good. She needed them to be afraid. Maybe one of them would confess. She didn't need to search One or Two, those were empty. Nor did she have to search Three, Eight or Thirteen. Cabin Thirteen was nestled in between One and Two. Her cabin, and she knew it was empty.

So she started with Four, Demeter. Katie Gardner, the counselor, was staring at her oddly. "This won't take long." Calais promised. Katie said nothing. Calais walked inside the brown cabin, poking a small tomato as she went. She didn't think a child of Demeter would steal anything. It was the Hermes kids she was worried about. But she still searched. Not surprisingly, neither the bolt nor the helm were in Cabin Four.

And they weren't in Five, Six, Seven, Nine, Ten or Twelve. She did Hermes last, it was the biggest. Luke blinked when she looked at him. The look she gave him said: _I'll tell you later. _He gave her a quick nod and she was inside. Gods of Olympus, where to start? This would take far too long. She called for the bolt and it didn't appear. She called for the helm and it didn't appear. They weren't here. Which meant she was wrong. And that meant this was a much more serious matter.

She walked out of the cabin. "Inspection is over. Commence with your regular activities." She shouted into the air. The campers dissipated slowly at first, and then it went to normal pace. They were rushing around, trying to get wherever they needed to be. She had to write to Zeus. Would he be angry?

Someone grabbed her arm, turning her around. "What was that about?" Luke demanded. She yanked her arm away and led him to the dock. That was their usual spot. It was quiet there and no one would interrupt them.

She leaned against the railing. "I went to Olympus today because I could sense there was a problem. There was a lot of tension in the sky. I was, of course, right. Someone has stolen the master bolt and the helm of darkness from Zeus and Hades. I thought maybe a camper had taken them, but I was wrong. I feel awful for assuming such a thing." She sighed. The words came out as a jumbled mess.

She grabbed a stone and tossed it. It shouldn't have skipped through the water, but it did. "So what happens now? What are they gonna do?" He asked. Her answer was a shrug. She didn't do that much.

"Zeus is…he's more than angry. Someone has betrayed the gods and no doubt, severe justice will be served. If the perpetrator is a god, I will have no say." She took a deep breath. "But if it is a camper, someone who has hidden the weapons away from Camp, I will have to deal out a punishment. And I won't enjoy it." Luke grabbed her hand. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but she found it slightly annoying.

She jerked her hand away quickly. Luke assumed it was him, and not her frustration at the current situation. This was the problem in their relationship. Calais had had one relationship before him and she ended up burning an entire city. Betrayal was cruel to her. It left her untrusting of him and unsure of any affection whatsoever.

Luke gave a heavy sigh and pushed off the railing. The look she gave him was tired and somewhat bitter. "You knew this wouldn't be exactly what you expected. If you're unhappy-." He put his hand over her mouth. To any of the other goddesses, it would have been a disrespectful gesture, but to her it was just annoying.

"I'm not unhappy. I'm just upset." She started to speak but he stopped her again. "Not at you, at that stupid jerk Perseus." The laugh she gave off was light-hearted. Her genuine laugh. He looked out at the lake. There were no canoeing campers or swimmers, leaving the lake empty and wholly, without a ripple, blue. "Let's go for a swim." The grin that spread across his face was marred by the scar that cut down his cheek.

"Swimming?" He nodded slowly as her lips frowned. Luke threw his shirt towards the grassy hill that led back up to the pavilion and took off his flip flops. He raised his eyebrows, asking if she was coming or not. He was answered when she ran past him and did a totally un-goddess move- a cannonball.

Water splashed around the dock and she surfaced. Her hair stuck to her face and shoulders. She beckoned him with a finger and a coy smile. Luke followed her suit, water hitting her in the face. Her laugh was the first thing he heard when he surfaced. "I'm glad you found me." He said softly. Found. Like he had been lost.

"You were never lost, Luke. You were always on your way here. You belong here." The look he gave her made her heart race.

"With you?" The comment made her blush, but she nodded. With her. Which meant, which meant she was saying they belonged together and she tried to stay away from those sorts of words. The Fates didn't control or, or at least she thought they didn't.

After a while, they retired to their respective cabins to get changed. Lunch wasn't for another hour and a half, Calais thought. She could get in a quick nap. She didn't even bother pulling the blankets back. She collapsed on the bed and went straight into a dream.

_War. Destruction. Chaos. Death. So much of it in so little time. This was a nightmare and this was the end. Tartarus stirred beneath her feet. Bodies piled into mountains on the ground. Everyone she had ever loved, every demigod she had ever been responsible for. All dead. How could this happen? How could the world come to this? She looked around, not knowing what to do. What had happened? At the base of the hill, was Camp Half-Blood. It was burned to the ground, in ruins and still smoking. The cries of campers and nymphs and harpies and, gods bless, Mortem, rang in her ears, even though she was sure she had not witnessed the devastation. _

_"__This is your world once I'm through with it. I'll burn Olympus last and you'll be the first to go. They think you can defeat me, well they are wrong. No small goddess will be my end. I will be your end!" It was a man's voice. Gravelly and dark, evil. The sound of it sent shivers down her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand._

_There was another voice, a softer, feminine voice. The Oracle of Delphi. "There is hope, my darling. A boy will be found soon. An extraordinary boy with great powers. He will be our salvation, or our destruction. You must guide him."_

The nightmare cut off there. Calais woke, covered in sweat. It didn't matter that she had slept through lunch and most of the activities. She had to find Chiron. Her legs were weak with the leftover fear of the nightmare. This was bad. Something awful was going to happen.

She fell out of the bed and ran from the cabin to the Big House. Chiron was nowhere to be seen. She fumbled up to the attic and shut the door quietly. The mummy was sitting in the corner of the room, same place as always. "You were in my dream. Did you give it to me?" She asked.

The Oracle didn't reply, she just sat there. Calais grabbed the mummy's shoulders tightly. "I need to know! Tell me!" She hissed. Green smoke swirled out from the mouth of the mummy and into Calais' brain.

_What you saw was the future, if you don't succeed. You must succeed in your mission, though there will be betrayal and loss. You must fight for the future that you so badly try to secure with your half-blooded children. _

Calais' hands fell. A quest? "Tell me more. You have to tell me everything you can, Oracle." She was pleading and she never pleaded. It was a nasty thing to do.

_A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep. A hero's soul cursed blade shall reap. A single choice to end his days: Olympus to preserve or raze. _

The mist vanished. She could feel it deep down. The Great Prophecy. No one had told her about it, just that there was one. It had been issued at the end of the Second World War. It was the reason Zeus, Hades and Poseidon no longer sired children. Without a child of the Big Three, Olympus would stay forever.

Calais ran down the stairs to find Chiron. Gods of Olympus, where was he? Not in the house, neither was Dionysus. Archery range, maybe? One way to find out. She grabbed a handful of purple grapes and went to the archery range. Lo and behold, there was the centaur, demonstrating how to shoot a bow to some of the first year campers.

"Chiron, I need to speak with you." The campers stepped back. She looked…concerned.

"In a moment, dear. I'm busy." He told her. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. With one blink, the bow fell from his hands. He glared over at her with a tired expression. "Fine. Children, go entertain yourselves somewhere else for a little while."

He walked with Calais back to the Big House, his hooves thumping on the grass. He shut the door to the house, a door that never closed in case a camper needed immediate help. "What is it?" He asked her.

She glanced up at the ceiling. "The Oracle told me the Great Prophecy. The one I wasn't supposed to hear." Yes, that had been issued. She tended to get a bit upset whenever her half-bloods might be in danger. And that was exactly what the prophecy indicated.

Chiron groaned at her. "And how did this come to happen? I assume you didn't just demand to hear it." She smiled sheepishly. "Calais! By the gods!" She raised her hands up in surrender.

"It isn't what you think, Chiron. I had a dream earlier. A nightmare, really. Someone wants to destroy Olympus," to which he interjected and said a lot of people wanted to destroy Olympus so it wasn't a big threat. "He threatened that I would be the first to die. But the Oracle came to me and said that there would be a demigod that would save us all and then when I went to the attic, she gave me the Great Prophecy."

He raised a hand to calm her down, to keep her quiet. "The problem is, my dear, the Big Three will not have any more children. There is nothing to worry about, I assure you." His smile was even meant to be assuring. But there was no convincing her. Not anymore.

She had to drop the subject though. He wouldn't like her arguing and she didn't like making him upset. "Calais! Calais! The phone in the Big House is ringing!" A camper shouted. A phone call? No one ever called. Except…satyrs looking for potential campers.

Chiron excused her and let her run to the house to get the phone. It turned out to be Grover Underwood, a junior protector, calling from his post at a private school in New York. "Calais, where's Chiron?" He asked frantically. She rolled her eyes and said he was indisposed. "I think I found one. He smells pretty powerful too. Maybe Chiron should come up here…?"

She thought about it. "Grover, don't you think I should come as well? Since he smells powerful and I'm the goddess of demigods." It sounded like a suggestion, but it was really an order. Manipulation was one of her greater gifts.

"Well, yeah, I guess so. But who will watch the camp?" He asked nervously. She snorted and said Dionysus would watch the campers. He was the one in charge after all. "Uh…alright Calais. Just hurry, alright? He's got a pretty strong aura and I can feel the monsters coming." She hung up the phone, not promising anything.

She could feel it in her bones, this was her demigod. The savior. The only problem was…one of the elder gods had an illegitimate child.


	3. Chapter 2

"Where are you off to?" Luke leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Callais looked up at him, tossing the last of her clothes into the final suitcase. This wouldn't be great.

She tried to smile as nicely as possible. "I am off to Yancy Academy in NYC. Grover thinks there's a potential camper up there, so I'm going with Chiron. In case things get….messy." Messy. She gave herself a mental high-five.

"Why would you need to go? And why would things get messy?" He asked. She thought about maybe allowing him inside, but it would have made things more difficult. It would have made good-byes more difficult.

"Grover said he had a pretty strong smell to him, which means a lot of monsters can find him easily. With my being there, I can help protect him. And hey, finding out you're a demigod is much easier with your patron god there." She finished by zipping the suitcase and picking it up.

"Guess I can't stop you from going, huh?" He sounded…defeated.

"Nope. But, I will call you every night and we can…write letters, if that doesn't sound too medieval." She cracked a smile carefully. He shook his head and said it sounded perfect. She asked him to get the rest of her bags and he did. He knew not to upset her.

He followed her to the top of the hill where Chiron was waiting with Argus to leave on the bus. "Ah, now Callais, you can't bring Mr. Castellan with us. It's against the rules." Chiron told her softly.

She squinted her eyes playfully. "We all know if I wanted to sneak Luke with us, I'd just put him in my suitcase." She laughed. Argus rolled his eyes, all of them and put their bags in the back of the van. Chiron instructed Callais to say her good-byes and quickly, because they needed to leave as soon as possible.

She dragged Luke off a few feet from Argus and Chiron. "I don't know when I'll be back. A few weeks, a few months. But I'm coming back. So wait for me." She pleaded. This was a test of her faith in her demigods. In her love of demigods. She had been betrayed and the fault was that she was afraid to be betrayed again. Her heart always said that Luke loved her, he'd never let her down. But then her mind would speak up and say don't trust him because he's a demigod.

"I'll always wait on you, Cal. Just hurry back." He kissed the top of her head gently. Her hand found his cheek and unconsciously, her fingers grazed over the scar. She jerked her hand away and turned from him.

"I have to go. I'll see you soon." She whispered, running towards the van.

_"__I don't like this, Luke. Something doesn't feel right." She said quietly as they sneaked into the garden. This was almost dangerous. Almost. _

_The tree was heavily guarded by Ladon. Getting close to the tree would be risky, getting close enough for an apple would be worse. "We'll be fine, Cal. My dad wouldn't send me on this quest if he didn't think I could do it. All you have to do is play the pipes Apollo gave you to lull Ladon asleep and I'll get the apple. Easy enough." He gripped her hand tightly._

_Easy enough, she told herself. She let his hand go and took the pipes from her bag. She pressed the openings to her mouth and began to play. As long as she focused, Ladon would sleep. Soon enough, she heard the loud snores that signaled the beast was unconscious. _

_She heard Luke scurrying up the tree, trying to find the apple that was worthy to give to his father once they returned to camp. She admired his dedication, his determination. _

_"__Such a pretty girl, you are. It's a shame you're going to die soon. And a shame you'll never see it coming." A voice inside her head said. She didn't have time for those. She had to keep the beast asleep. With a ragged breath, she kept playing the pipes._

_"__There's nothing you can do to stop me once I've begun. There's nothing you can do to stop yourself from helping me. This is the beginning of the end, you foolish girl and you're going to watch the world burn!" It shouted. There was a gust of wind and the pipes fell from her hands. She screamed as Ladon's eyes flashed open and he darted up the tree. _

_There was a thud as Luke hit the ground, blood pouring from his face. She tripped over the pipes to get by his side and help him stand. "It has begun!" The voice shrieked, rattling her ears. She pushed Luke from the garden and slammed the gate shut. Her hands lit up, illuminating his face. _

_There was so much blood, too much to be coming from his face. "Cal…I…" He started to speak but she hushed him. He couldn't talk, not if he was going to live. Gods, why couldn't she have the power to heal? _

_She wrapped her arms around him and they disappeared into the air. They arrived in the dining room of the Big House. "By the gods, Callais. What on earth are you doing here?" Chiron asked her. The blood on her hands and on Luke's face changed his expression. He escorted them to the infirmary and proceeded to clean Luke's face and stitch the slash mark up._

_He asked her what happened but she refused to speak. No one could know about the voices. They would think she was crazy. _

_"__I got the apple." Luke smiled, blood and stitches marring his face. Water welled in her eyes as she smiled back._

Callais rolled Chiron's chair into the classroom and sat his books on the desk. "You got a real gig, teaching Latin to unsuspecting twelve year olds." She laughed, arranging some of his belongings around the room.

"Callais, dear, while we're here you shall refer to me as Mr. Brunner. You might want to change your name as well. Americanize it perhaps." Americanize her name? Her name was everything. It had stated her noble rank when she was human and now it stated her godly rank. Americanizing her name was…unimaginable.

"That's just ridiculous, Chiron. I'm Greek. I bleed golden blood. Besides, they're twelve. They won't even think about it." She waved it off. He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. She could have been Zeus' blood child, the way she behaved sometimes.

The bell rang, signaling the time to start going to the first class of the day. "It's been forever since we've seen Grover. He probably has horns by now." She sighed. Chiron laughed and said he doubted it. Grover wouldn't grow horns in a few short weeks.

The class entered one by one and by clusters until they finally saw Grover, lanky little thing with fake crutches and a cap. He gave them both a wayward smile and went to the back of the classroom. Following him was another lanky boy with jet black hair.

"Good morning class. I'll be your new Latin instructor, Mr. Brunner." He paused for them to say good morning, which they did, but not very lively. "As you can see," he rolled out from behind the desk, "I'm crippled. I have no use of my legs, nor can I feel them. So I've brought my niece to help me instruct classes."

They all turned to see the nineteen year old girl leaning on the desk. "Callais Montague. Pleased to meet each and every one of you." She smiled brightly. She hated middle school children. Immature and stupid.

"We'll begin lessons tomorrow, but today will be the day I get to know my students. Your likes, dislikes, favorite subjects. I'll also outline my course for you towards the end of the class. I do think we'll spend a great year together." He ended the sentence with a large grin.

He went around the room, having the students introduce themselves one by one and tell an interesting fact about themselves. "My name's Grover Underwood and I'm into Greek mythology." Grover said with an undeniable smirk on his lips. Chiron rolled his eyes slightly before going to the boy behind Grover.

"You lad, who are you?" He asked. Grover nudged the boy, calling his attention.

"Perseus- er, Percy Jackson, sir." Perseus. How…odd. Callais straightened up, staring right at him.

"Is there anything you find particularly interesting about yourself, Mr. Jackson?" Chiron asked him softly.

Percy closed his eyes. "I like blue food. Blue stuff, really." He said quietly. Chiron glanced back at Callais, who shrugged. He outlined the class for his students, telling them how they would extensively study the Greek and Roman empires throughout the year, and the activities that would accompany their studies.

The bell rang and the class left in a hurry. Callais waved the door shut once it was clear. "You have files, I presume, on all the students?" She asked. He nodded and pointed to the file cabinet. She jerked the drawer open and shifted through the files until she found Jackson's name. She pulled the file out and sat at the desk.

Perseus 'Percy' Jackson, twelve years old, on a scholarship, kicked out of every school's he's ever attended. "He sounds interesting." Callais mumbled, thumbing through the pages.

"Don't fiddle with the technicalities. You know the signs to look for." Chiron told her sternly. She mocked him quietly.

"Because I came up with them. Hello, I construct their entire DNA strands." She muttered, going to the back page. "Bingo." She whistled. Confirmed diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and dyslexia. "He's a demigod. Only problem is, I don't remember him. Which means, someone went behind my back and has been lying about it for around thirteen years." She told Chiron.

She put the file back. This deserved a trip to Olympus. But Chiron told her no. They needed to wait a while, see what the boy was about, and keep monsters from him. They couldn't get the gods involved, not right now anyways.

"So, you think he's a half-blood?" Grover asked. Callais picked at the bowl of grapes on the table.

"Of course. But I don't know his parentage and Chiron refuses to bring the gods into this at the moment. I can only guess at this point, until we know more. We know it can't be the Big Three, nor could it be Hera or Artemis." She explained carefully.

"The humans made this movie, a spin-off of Hercules. He was born a god, not a half-blood. Hades tried to make him mortal but all of whatever that drink was didn't get drunk. Couldn't it be possible something like that happened? Percy's a god but he's been reduced to a half-blood somehow? It could explain why you don't know about him." Grover said quietly.

"It's almost impossible. I would be the only person who has the power to take that away and I would never do that, unless it was asked of me."

Grover sighed and banged his head on the table. "We should take him back to camp at least." He groaned. Callais looked back at Chiron, eyebrows raised.

"No. He's young. We need to wait as long as possible." Chiron told them. Callais said waiting wasn't the best idea. Monsters could come. It wouldn't be easy protecting him and trying to keep their cover at the same time. And the added stress of protecting the mortals too.

But Chiron was insistent. They could protect him at any cost, but he wasn't ready for the camp yet.

Months Later; May

"I don't have to go on this field trip, do I? I already know everything there is to know about this stuff." Callais said, stapling a paper. Chiron gave her a look she knew too well. She was going, if he had to drag her.

He and Grover had been keeping an eye on the math teacher who smelled suspiciously like a monster. Callais had been watching Percy in case anything happened to him. It was essential that all of them were on this on this field trip because anything could happen at any moment.

"Fine. But I'm not riding that stupid bus. I've got errands to run anyways. I'll meet you at the museum." She stood up and rubbed her forehead.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to separate yourself from the boy?" Chiron asked her, sticking a pen in his coat pocket. She made a mocking face at him.

"Everything will be fine. I promise. But I have to go. I'll meet you at the museum at nine. Keep an eye on the teacher and Percy." She grabbed her jacket and patted her mentor's cheek gently.

Fifteen minutes later, she was standing at a popular magical coffee shop. "Callais." Someone said from behind her. She turned around.

Apollo, gods bless him, was looking down at her. And every girl in the shop was looking at him. Sure, he was a god, but that didn't mean he needed to be treated like one. His head was big enough already.

"You look younger, little sister." He kissed both her cheeks and she shoved him away.

"I didn't call you so you could compliment me. I called because I need someone to talk to."

So ten minutes later, they were at the park with their nectar shot coffee. "What's up, little sister?" Apollo asked, downing his coffee.

"There's a demigod at the school I'm scouting with Chiron. He's powerful. Powerful enough to attract a Fury. The only problem is I don't know who sired him." She had been dying to tell someone since she found out. Chiron had forbid her from going to Olympus and raising Hades about it.

Apollo nodded thoughtfully. "You want me to find out?" She shook her head quickly.

"I just needed to tell someone. I'm sure I'll find out sometime but none of the gods can know. There's enough trouble as it is. I cannot add more."

Apollo clapped her shoulder carefully. "About that trouble…." And then he told her. Zeus had set a deadline for the return of his master bolt. If it wasn't returned by the Summer Solstice, a civil war would begin and the world would be destroyed by the gods.

"Fantastic. Just what I need. I have to get to the museum. Care to walk me?" He wasn't going to say no.

They linked arms and he escorted her to the museum. The field trip students were waiting on the steps, huddled around the two teacher chaperones. "Which kid? I want to see the mortal that's got my baby sister all stressed out." Callais pointed to the short boy with dark black hair standing beside the incognito satyr.

"That Underwood? On crutches?" Apollo asked her. She said yes and that Grover was doing a great job as a junior protector. "What's the kid's name?" She said it was Perseus.

He gave her a ridiculous look. "What?" She asked.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Cal, you don't think it's sketchy at all? He's powerful, his name is Perseus. He could be Dad's…" He said it quietly. No one upstairs needed to know about this.

"It's just a coincidence, Apollo. Besides, Zeus wouldn't break the Law again. Not after last time." She assured him.

Apollo glanced upwards at the sky and then back at her. "There's no such thing as a coincidence, Cal. You're a goddess. You should know that." He kissed her forehead and disappeared.

Callais narrowed her eyes. She hated when he did that. She walked over to the museum and joined Chiron on the ramp. "Was that a boy I saw? Will Mr. Castellan be heart-broken when you return to the camp?" His eyes were light with humor.

"It was Apollo. He came to check on me. He said he was worried because he hadn't heard from me in a few months." She didn't mind lying to him. Lying was something she championed at a young age.

"Hey, Cal!" Grover shouted, waving at her enthusiastically. Percy Jackson was standing beside him, looking angry and slightly bored with the world. Callais waved back half-heartedly.

"Alright children, it's time to visually explore the ancient world!" That was Chiron's way of ushering the students inside and telling Callais it was time to push his wheelchair. Which she did.

"Wouldn't it be much more beneficial to their educations if I just showed them about the 'ancient' world?" She asked quietly with a smile. Chiron shook his head playfully and said absolutely not. Better they kept that secret in the dark.

Their first stop was a stele for a young girl. Callais kept her eyes on the boy with the black hair. He seemed interested enough, but his classmates were not. And every time he asked to be quiet, the other chaperone glared at him. Mrs. Dodds was not human. She was a Fury and it made Callais wary. She could attack at any moment.

"Could you just shut up?" Percy half-shouted.

Callais pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "Is there a problem, Mr. Jackson?" Chiron asked sternly. Percy shook his head and said no quietly. "Perfect. Could you tell us what this picture means?" Chiron pointed to a carving on the wall.

This was easy, Callais thought. Though the images weren't correct in the least bit, she knew it by heart. She could easily tell each figure apart and name them, even though the central figure she had never seen in person.

"Uh, that's Kronos devouring his kids." Percy stumbled for words. Chiron nodded and told him to go on. "He was the king god- titan, I mean. He was afraid his kids would overthrow him so he ate them but his wife hid Zeus away somewhere. When he was old enough, Zeus tricked Kronos into puking his brothers and sisters back up. And then there was a war and the gods won." More or less, Callais thought. He had left out the more gory details.

A red haired girl named Nancy sniggered something which everyone seemed to hear. Percy didn't much like her. "Full credit if you can tell me why this matters in real life, Mr. Jackson." Chiron said, Percy answered that he didn't know. Chiron frowned. "A half credit, I suppose. You are all dismissed to lunch." The crowd of students dispersed quickly enough.

Chiron called for Percy to stay back for a moment. "Is there a problem, sir?" Percy asked quietly. Chiron shook his head and said no.

"But you must learn the answer to my question. Why does this mythology matter in real life? I will accept nothing but the best from you, Percy. My lessons are important and you must learn everything from them." Callais tapped her fingers on the back of the wheelchair. Chiron dismissed Percy to go eat. "Callais, I've something for you. From camp."

Her mind went a million different directions. Capture the flag? Wood nymphs? Had someone gotten sick? Had Mortem gotten sick? He did despair when she went away. Or…had Luke…? Trembling, she took the letter and made her way out of the museum. She sat down on the steps, away from the class and tore the envelope open. It was in Luke's scribbled writing, so that had to be a good sign, right?

_Camp is weird without you. I must have said that in every letter but it's so true. It's weird without Chiron as well, but I like you more than him, don't tell him I said that! We picked a bushel of strawberries the other day. They're smaller and not as sweet and I'm sure it's because you're away. How is everything in the city? I've been exercising Mortem for you and he finally likes me. I know this because he actually ate the apple I gave him last week. Mr. D has been unbearable without you to reign him in._

_I'm actually not writing you because I miss you._

Here it was, the undeniable, inevitable truth. They simply couldn't be. Her heart had slowed immensely and she dreaded reading the next words.

_I have to ask you a question and you can't lie to me or avoid answering like you usually do when you don't want me to know something. It's serious this time. Everyone is worried. The outside weather has been dark and it reaches inside the camp sometimes. Two weeks ago, there was a storm and the lake flooded Zeus' cabin and a flash of lightning hit Poseidon's. The Oracle walks the camp at night. The younger kids are afraid, even though they refuse to say it. I know something is happening, something big and because this affects everyone, I need you to tell me. Not just for me, but for the other campers. I know you want to protect them from everything, but you can't. _

_On a lighter note, we won capture the flag. Again. Also, I love you and come home soon._

She had nothing to worry about. She had to realize that or she would go crazy. Luke was hers. But... the camp. If the storms were reaching inside the borders, Zeus wasn't just mad. He was livid. She folded the letter up and put it in her pocket. She stood up and decided that because she knew what was best for Percy, she was going to tell Chiron they were taking him back to camp.

Old newspapers and debris caught wind and rustled in front of her. Slowly, she looked up. The clouds were pitch black. She had to find that bolt. Someone screamed. Her eyes jerked over to the fountain where several of the students had already gathered. Nancy, the red haired girl, was in the fountain and Percy was staring right at her. Callais' ears strained to hear. "…crazy….like the water just grabbed her…"

Mrs. Dodds was staring Percy down intensely. "Come with me, Mr. Jackson." She grabbed Percy by the arm.

"It was me, Mrs. Dodds! I pushed Nancy in!" Grover said. Callais slowly walked down the steps.

"You're lying to me, young man. Come on now, honey." Mrs. Dodds had a good grip on Percy's arm. She led him up the stairs, right past Callais. They looked at each other and that was when Callais knew that the Fury knew. Mrs. Dodds shuffled herself inside with Percy quickly.

Callais and Grover stared at each other. Chiron was on the ramp, absorbed in his novel. She had to tell him. They had let the monster sit too long, let her fester and get a good handle on things. Callais snatched the book from Chiron's hands.

"She is a Fury and she's taken Percy inside the museum. Alone. Am I allowed to intervene?" She hated that she had to ask. He was _hers _and she felt as if she shouldn't have to ask to do her job.

"She will not hurt him. Not here in this public place. Percy is safe." She didn't believe him. She fingered with the ring on her right hand and turned to the museum. With a stern face, she said she was going inside. Chiron said nothing.

She knew better than to wield the sword in the open, but she would have felt a great deal safer with it in her hand. They were not in the gift shop like she had vainly hoped. They were in the gallery. Callais hid in the doorway, watching silently. The Fury transformed. Her eyes turned a fiery black and her wings appeared, as leathery and worn looking as ever, talons razor sharp with equally dangerous teeth.

Callais had the ring off in an instance and it turned into a beautiful four foot long sword that caught every ray of light. Before she could rush in, a wheelchair wheeled past her. "Percy!" Chiron shouted. He tossed something threw the air and when Percy leaned to catch it, it saved his life. The bronze sword had a name but Callais didn't care as long as it saved the boy.

When Mrs. Dodds lunged at him again, he swung the sword at her. It sliced right through her shoulder and her body combusted into yellow powder. Callais ran her thumb over the edge of the hilt of her sword and returned the ring to her finger. Chiron wheeled away swiftly, taking Callais with him.

"I told you. I told you. I told you. But did you listen? Of course not!" She hissed as they returned to outside. Chiron said nothing else of the situation, but told her to act as she had been for the past few months. He unfolded his attached umbrella and took out his book again.

"I'm assuming the letter was from Mr. Castellan?" Quietly, she said yes. "It's past time to harvest the strawberries. What did he have to say?" He was trying to apologize.

"The same as usual." It wasn't a _complete _lie. "He misses me, Dionysus is a grouch." _The Oracle is freaking them out, the strawberries weren't sweet, the lake flooded Cabin One. _There was so much she wanted to tell him but couldn't. The dreams. The voice. But she couldn't.

Percy exited the museum, a confused look on his young face and a ballpoint pen in his hand. He was stopped by the red headed girl and she said something mean, probably, but he still looked confused, not angry. He went to Grover for an answer but as far as Callais could tell, Grover wasn't saying anything detrimental.

Percy made his way to Chiron's wheelchair, twisting the pen through his fingers. At the last second, Chiron glanced up. "It would suffice if you brought your own pen next time, Mr. Jackson. Thank you." Chiron took the pen and stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

"Sir, have you seen Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked. Chiron didn't event blink. He told Percy that there was no Mrs. Dodds. And then asked him if he was feeling okay. Percy glanced at Callais, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were on the sky, squinted as if she was trying to look right through the black mass.

"This storm is going to be a large one. I hope we're prepared." She murmured.

"Cal, I know that you know what's best for the kid, but let up on Chiron. He's just trying to do what he thinks is best." She narrowed her eyes even though he couldn't see her. "You've narrowed your eyes." She started to speak but he kept going. "I can tell. You take in a really short breath."

"He needs to know. He was _attacked_, Luke. And he knows it wasn't normal." She insisted. Someone had to be on her side; someone had to agree with her. "I'm worried about him, Luke. His grades have fallen and he's been kicked out of the school for next year. If we don't act now, we'll lose him and he might lose his life."

Luke didn't say anything for a few moments, she thought he had hung up on her. "I don't know what to tell you. I have to go." And _then _he hung up. Callais put the phone back on the receiver and sighed. She was due in Chiron's office in ten minutes. Best she be early than late.

Grover was already there, gnawing anxiously on pop can. "I still think he needs to know." Callais stated. Chiron closed his eyes exhaustedly and Grover looked frightened of speaking.

"In time, child. It is still too soon." Chiron told her, again. Callais narrowed her eyes and noted that she _did _take a short breath before.

"I think it's safe to say that we're all worried about Percy, sir." Grover said, the can wrinkling in his grip. Her ears heard four inhales, three in the room. Someone was listening. Percy. She knew it. She could feel it. This was too perfect. "I don't want him to be alone this summer, especially with the museum incident hanging over us. Now they know as well and it makes things worse." Grover said in a rushed tone.

Callais nodded in agreement. "There was a Fury in the school. We can't just sit back and act like it didn't happen. Percy could have died if you hadn't of come to your senses." She lost a bit of herself when she lost a demigod. Chiron said Percy needed to be more mature before they even tried to act.

"The solstice deadline-." Grover started.

"It will be resolved without him. Until I say, we leave the boy alone."

That was enough to make her snap. "Keeping him in the dark helps no one. He is in danger and I refuse to sit back and watch him die. You're hiding a part of him that makes him who he is. Who he will be. This is his heritage, his destiny even, and you don't want to tell him. Besides, it should be until I say, which would be now." Her voice was hard as rock and she didn't even feel bad for yelling.

They stared at each other for a long few moments. "I understand your concern. And I feel as if it is slightly biased. You are attached to him because of his name. Your only concern, everyone's only concern surrounding this boy should be keeping him alive until next fall."

Outside the room, something fell to the floor. He had heard. Chiron's mouth clamped shut as they all strained to hear. Chiron grabbed his bow and walked out of the room. He came back a few moments later. "We are all only on the edge of our nerves. Grover, return to your dorm and get a good night's sleep. You have finals tomorrow." Grover sighed deeply and left the room.

"I suggest you tell him soon. Before something else comes after him." Callais said sharply before leaving. She went back to her allotted dorm room and picked up the telephone. She dialed the overly familiar number.

"Hello?" She got lucky, calling at this hour.

"Luke." Her voice was soft. She heard him take a deep breath. "I'm coming home."

Camp was as she had left it. Almost. Cabin One still had a bit of seaweed hanging from, well, everywhere. _Dionysus_, she told herself. She put her bags in her cabin and went to the Big House. Dionysus was sitting at the kitchen table, staring as a glass filled with red wine. Every time his hand got close, it turned to Diet Coke.

"Having problems?" She announced herself. He glanced over at her, eyes narrowed.

"No. What are you doing back? Did you bring that horse with you? And the goat?" Callais rolled her eyes and sat down.

"I'm here to relieve you from your reign of terror. You must have them terrified." He grinned and said that meant he was doing his job correctly. She shook her head. "Chiron and Grover should be back within a few days. Term wasn't over but all they were doing was tests and I was just bored."

"One nymph. One and now I can't drink wine. Do you know how frustrating this is?" He groaned. "Anyways, go talk to those monsters. I can't stand to look at them." He muttered. Callais kissed his cheek softly and grabbed the glass. The dark brown liquid turned to a dark red. She mumbled something and handed it back.

"Our little secret." She grinned at the stunned look on his face. "He won't know. Swear on the Styx." She walked out of the house before he could object. Where to begin…, she thought. She could sense that all the cabins were empty. Where were all the campers? She headed to the dining pavilion as a first option and was glad she did. The entirety of the camp had congregated there. And they had _decked _it out.

"Welcome home!" All the voices at the same time sounded like a roll of thunder. She had missed this. Luke was standing in the front, arms crossed with a wide smile on his face.

"You guys did all this…?" She asked Toby Lancaster, the thirteen year old child of Apollo. He said yes. They started as soon as she called and said she was coming home.

"You like it, right?" Katie Gardner asked. Callais said she loved it.

"Then let's eat!" Connor Stoll shouted from the back.

Everyone looked at Callais. "Let's eat!" She agreed. There, for once, wasn't a line to get food. It was chaotic and it was a mess. Luke made his way over, two plates in his hands.

"Come on." He beckoned her with a nod. They found a semi empty table and sat down. "You're sure Chiron is okay with you being here?" He asked her.

She asked if he wanted the truth and he said as always. "I didn't tell him. I packed up and I left. Things were becoming difficult between us. But I don't want to talk about it. I want to talk about your letter. I'm going to tell them." She stood up and climbed on the top of the table.

She cleared her throat, calling the attention of all the campers. "I know you're all worried and you have every right to be. It's my job to protect you and I'm going to do that by telling you what you need to know. A few months ago, two very important things were stolen. Zeus' master lightning bolt and Hades' helm of darkness. You all know what this means. The gods are being forced to pick sides. A civil war between the gods is not just a petty fight. It will end in world destruction." She paused, drawing a deep breath. "I put the blame on none of you, but if you do have information, any at all, on any of this, it will be in everyone's best interest to tell me immediately." She climbed down from the table, everyone staring down at the floor.

"I think you scared them…" Luke whispered to her.

"Good. They need to be scared. Maybe it will keep them alive." She mumbled.


	4. Chapter 3

The storm wasn't what woke her. It was the energy bubbling deep in her chest that did. The storm should have woken her. It had everyone else at the camp. He was here. Or close, at least. She knew that. But that wasn't the only thing she felt. Or smelled. Monster. Big monster, she told herself. She remembered the smell that came with a sickening memory of her human life.

Unseen, she made it out of camp and to the top of Half-Blood Hill. She looked past the arch, everything from beyond there a blur. The barrier, she told herself, not you. She took her ring off and let it transform into the sword.

"He needs you. And the world needs him." She whispered. Callais stepped out of the boundary and into the real world. She followed the stench of monster and the aroma of demigod. And satyr, slight hint of satyr.

What she saw made her stomach roll.

Grover was on the ground, mostly unconscious. Percy was on the monster's back. "Gods help me." She murmured, gripping the hilt tightly. The Minotaur stopped moving and Percy fell flat against its back. It could smell her. Did she smell the same as she had the last time they had met? Or could it sense the part of itself that was now the hilt of her sword.

And then it roared. The Minotaur bucked and Percy was flung through the air. His head smacked against a rock; Callais flinched. When she looked again, Percy was standing, one of the Minotaur's horns in his hands. The monster charged at him and Percy ducked. The horn went straight through the Minotaur's ribcage. The monster howled and crumbled into sand, blowing away in fierce wind.

Percy nearly collapsed as he made his way over to Grover's moaning body. Callais restored her sword to a ring and out it on her finger. She walked over and grabbed Percy by the shoulder. "You're too weak to help him." She told him. He stared at her, still gripping the horn in his hand. "I'll help you."

She let him lean on her shoulder as they walked into the valley, Grover in her arms. Percy collapsed on the porch and she put Grover in a chair. She summoned Chiron, who had gotten back two days earlier. "He needs immediate care. Grover needs sustenance." She reported.

"Then bring them both inside at once, child." Chiron said as Percy's eyes fluttered shut.

Luke couldn't calm his own girlfriend. She paced like a madwoman in front of the Big House for two days. He watched her bite her fingernails and mutter things to herself. When Chiron finally said Percy's health was almost fully restored, he could have cried tears of joy.

Callais did not need Luke watching her every move. It made her even more anxious. He finally left when someone reported that Percy was going to be fully awake soon. Her newly started game of pinochle was not easing her mind as usual.

"I always win, fellows. Don't even try cheating. I'll still beat you." She taunted Dionysus, who she knew was thinking of hiding a winning card in his lap. He narrowed his eyes and groaned.

"What's the use in playing then, if you're always going to win?" He asked her.

She smiled brightly. "Because I'm not going to win this time. But I will still beat you." She laughed as Chiron hid a smug smile. Dionysus rolled his eyes and took a sip of his Diet Coke.

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, was leaning against the porch rail, watching. Just as Callais' stomach began to bubble, Annabeth cleared her throat. Callais looked up. Percy. He was staring at them intently, Grover by his side.

"Mr. Brunner?" Percy spoke up. Chiron turned and smiled at Percy, waving him over.

"Let's make the game interesting, shall we?" Chiron asked Callais. "Four people is a good number for pinochle." She nodded slowly.

"You'll still lose though." Callais told Dionysus.

"It isn't polite to taunt, girl." He warned her.

She raised her eyebrows. She decided to ignore his comment. "Percy, sit down." She told him. She pulled the chair out that was between herself and Dionysus.

Her 'brother' glanced at Percy and heaved a sigh. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood." He mumbled. Percy cautiously sat down, holding a shoe box in his hand.

"Annabeth, will you go prepare Percy a bunk in cabin eleven? Tell Luke I sent you." Callais asked the girl. Annabeth smiled and walked off, her blond curls bouncing as she stepped. Callais looked at Percy. "Annabeth helped nurse you back to full health." She told him.

"Do you work here, Mr. Brunner?" Percy asked.

Chiron laughed. "I'm afraid that was only an alias, Percy. You may call me Chiron from now on." Chiron instructed him. Percy only nodded. "I am rather shocked to see you alive, though. I haven't made a house call for a potential camper in a long time. I had almost thought I wasted my time."

"No you didn't." Callais said in a sing-song voice. They all looked at her. "You knew. And if you didn't, I knew and you trust me too much not to inspect something that I'm interested in." She explained, shuffling her cards. Chiron on shook his head. "Here Grover, take my place. I am rather tired of pinochle. And beating my brother at it." Callais stood. She let a nervous satyr take her spot.

Percy had never realized how tall she was. Standing, she towered over him. He was tall for his age but she was taller. And who knew how old she was. And she was staring at him. Her eyes were gold. Not a nice brown. They were pure gold. It seemed like her irises were molten gold, moving around. How had he not noticed it before?

"Why am I here?" Percy asked suddenly. She was still staring at him. He looked away from her.

"Your mother didn't tell you anything, I presume. All is still well, I suppose." Chiron sighed. Callais sighed and said to get on with it or she wouldn't and it wouldn't be nice for anyone. "Fine. Well, Percy, you know that Grover is a satyr and that you've killed the Minotaur, which Callais has been itching to do for centuries now. The basic thing that you need to understand is that the forces we all know as the Greek gods are very much alive."

Percy stared. "You mean, like Zeus and Hera?" Thunder rolled in the distance. Callais looked at the sky, frowning.

"Young man, you really should think about being less casual about throwing names around. Names are powerful." Dionysus stated, handing Grover his empty Diet Coke can. "Someone might turn you into a dolphin."

Callais narrowed her eyes. "No one is getting turned into a dolphin." She said in a stern voice. Dionysus rolled his eyes.

"Those are just stories, though. Myths that people used before science to explain things." Percy insisted.

Dionysus snorted. "Science is a joke. In two thousand years, people will think of your science and laugh themselves to death."

"Besides, Perseus, there's no such thing as just a story when the gods are involved." Callais told him. She had learned that the hard way.

"This is why I love mortals, Callais. They think they've evolved so much, yet they have absolutely no sense of perspective." Callais said nothing. They obviously had very different views on humanity. He had never experienced it, never known what it was like to have death right around the corner at all times. She knew. She understood.

"How would you like being called a myth, a story, to explain how things happened, even if people believed in you, or they didn't?" Callais asked Percy.

He didn't look her in the eye. She made him uneasy. There was something about her that set him off. The part of her that reminded him of Mr. D. "But I don't believe in gods." He became scared of her then. Her golden eyes flashed.

"I would if I were you. One of them might incinerate you." Dionysus muttered in an almost happy tone. Callais snapped that there would be no incinerating.

"Sir, he's just lost his mother. He's in shock, that's all." Grover added quietly. Dionysus waved his hand, summoning a goblet. It filled itself with red wine.

"Brother." Callais warned. Chiron reminded him about his restrictions. Dionysus faked a weak smile and apologized to the sky. Thunder rolled. He waved his hand again and the goblet turned into a can of Diet Coke. "My brother offended our father a while back. This is second offense punishment." Callais explained.

"She was such a pretty wood nymph. And Callais, we aren't really related." He told her. She shrugged and said it was all the same now that he was stuck here with her. Percy asked who his father was. Dionysus sighed. "Did Chiron teach you nothing? My father is Zeus. Obviously."

Percy was silent for a moment. "You're the god of wine, Dionysus." Dionysus said yes. "You're a god."

Dionysus narrowed his small, watery eyes. "Do you want to test me, boy?"

"Dionysus. Enough." Callais growled.

He looked over at her. Then apologized. He looked back down at his cards and smiled. "I win." He stated. Callais raised her eyebrows. Chiron laid his own cards down and looked at the scoresheet. He then announced that the game was his.

"I told you." Callais smiled brightly.

Dionysus stood and stared down at Grover. "Grover, we need to have a conversation before my pre-sing along nap. So come with me. Now." Grover trembled as he stood up. Callais told him he'd be fine. Grover nodded meekly and followed Dionysus into the house.

"Is Grover gonna be okay?" Percy asked. Chiron said he'd be fine. Dionysus was just a grouch. Callais zoned out. Her mind was working overtime, trying to figure out who would have defied the oath and had an illegitimate child. Zeus, perhaps. He had done it before. If she asked, would he incinerate her? Or just take away her immortality and make her live as a mortal again? Maybe she wouldn't ask him after all.

"Callais, will you show Percy to his bunk?" Chiron asked her. She nodded. Chiron stood from his wheelchair; Percy's eyes got wider and wider.

"So you and…Mr. D, you're related?" Percy asked Callais as they passed the volleyball pits. Callais stopped.

"No. Not technically anyways. I was adopted into the family, you could say." She noticed campers staring. "Let's go. Lots more to see before we get to your stop." They kept walking.

Percy glanced back at the farmhouse. "What lives in the attic?" He questioned.

"No one." She said in a clipped tone. Not ready for that yet. She hadn't even been ready for that. And she was sure he was the one. The one who would save her. She took him past the strawberry fields. "It's actually a pretty good cover. Brings in a pretty good profit and no one really works that hard on them. Dionysus is a big help, shocker. We export them to plenty of restaurants in New York and I take the rest up to Olympus."

"Will Grover be in a lot of trouble?" Percy asked quietly. She didn't know how to answer that. Dionysus had an unpredictable temper.

"I can't say. Personally, I would give Grover another chance, but that's just me. It's up to Dionysus and Cloven Elders to decide. I have a very small say in the business of satyrs." _Especially since what happened the last time_, she reminded herself. She had nearly killed the satyr. Nearly though.

"So is the Underworld real too?" She said yes. "Have you been there?"

Curious little demigod, he was. "Yes. I'm one of the few who have been there and back. It's not as bad as you'd think. Pretty homely, actually."

"Do you think my mother is there?" He whispered softly.

She stopped walking. She should have known he wasn't just curious. The Minotaur had crushed his mother. "If you want me to, I can ask. But with the sparse information we have now, an answer wouldn't be entirely conclusive, I don't think. Like Chiron always says, it's best to wait." She told him. Callais decided to change the subject. The loss of parents was depressing.

"Did you lose them, your parents?" Percy asked her before she could change the subject.

Best to tell the truth. "They died before me, yes. But I didn't lose them. They grew old together and died peacefully. Something that most people in this world don't get to experience. I was there when they died, I held their hands. And after they died, I watched their spirits go into Elysium." She had only told one other person that. Luke. "Okay. Enough about the past. I suppose we should get you some armor and a sword. I believe you're a size five." She said, looking him up and down.

They passed the archery range, where the children of Apollo were practicing; the lake were a few campers with down time were canoeing and swimming and the stables. "We keep the horses in here. And a few pegasi. Including my own."

Percy stared at her. "You have your own pegasus?"

She nodded, smiling. "His name is Mortem. His father is the Pegasus, Hercules' own friend and pet." She left the conversation there. Callais pointed out the amphitheater, the javelin range, the arena and the mess hall. "The cabins are this way. Come on." She smiled.

All thirteen of the cabins were arranged in a U shape. Six on each side and one in the very center. "Those are…interesting looking." Percy swallowed. "Why do they all look different?" He asked her.

"Each cabin is a commemoration of the gods. Can you guess which cabin belongs to which god?"

He thought for a second, staring intently at the cabins. "Do one and two belong to Zeus and Hera?"

Her smile was radiant. "Yes. Good job." She praised.

"They look empty."

She told him that they were. "Some cabins don't have campers."

His eyes squinted. "There are twelve gods. But thirteen cabins. Why?"

She stared at cabin thirteen. A small cabin, almost like a house, with glass walls and a golden door. "There's a thirteenth goddess, one you don't learn about in school because her story is more a myth than the actual mythology. Most people don't believe she existed."

"Who is she?"

"She's the goddess of demigods. An important job. She protects them, she creates them. She loves them."

"What's her name?"

Her eyes twinkled. "Take a guess, Perseus."

His green eyes widened. "It's you? You're an actual goddess?" She nodded. "But you're so…so young!" She told him it was because demigods felt more comfortable talking to someone who was closer to their age, opposed to someone middle-aged.

"I became a goddess when I was eighteen after I burned down a whole city. I still look the same as I did when I was human. It keeps me morally straight." She told him.

But he wasn't listening anymore. He was walking towards cabin three. She followed him quietly, watching closely as he stood outside the open door. He leaned forward and she pulled him back. "You don't want to go in there. Come with me." She led him away. She glanced back at the cabin as they walked away. "Cabin five is where the Ares kids bunk. Despite the way it and they look, they're good kids. They just have tempers. Like their father. You'll be staying in cabin eleven." She explained.

She led him there, where Annabeth was waiting for them. She greeted them with a smile. The three of them walked inside. The commotion stopped immediately.

"Don't stop on my account. Please, continue." Callais smiled at them. Things went back to hectic.

"LUKE! Your girlfriend is here!" Someone shouted. Callais' cheeks flushed.

Callais put a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder as the campers stared him up and down. "Cabin eleven, this is Percy Jackson. Percy, meet cabin eleven." She introduced.

"So, is he claimed or not?" A girl asked.

Callais frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately, he is undetermined." Groans rolled like thunder.

Luke emerged from the crowd. "Guys, chill out. We take in the determined and undetermined, just like our father. We offer a home to everyone." He told him. He smiled down at Percy. "You can have that spot on the floor over there. I'm sorry about the crowded space." He apologized.

"Annabeth, can you handle Percy from here?" Callais asked. The girl nodded. Some of the younger campers made googling sounds as Callais and Luke started to walk out of the cabin. "Percy, I'll come get you before dinner and I'll try to clear your head." She promised.

She left with Luke, taking him to their dock. "He seems like a nice kid. Little shy, but that's normal." Luke observed.

She nodded. "He's severely confused. I don't think his mother told him anything about his heritage. Which makes things increasingly more difficult for me."

Luke frowned. "Wait. You don't know who his dad is?" She said no. "Aren't they required to tell you?"

She said yes. "I think this is bigger than people believe it is, Luke. Something much bigger is going on. And I'm going to figure out what it is."

Callais was waiting for Percy by the stables. He showed up almost on time. "So I heard you met Clarisse." Callais said, greeting him and walking inside the stable. Percy grimaced at the mention of the daughter of Ares. "I also heard that something happened in the bathroom with you two." She said in a much quieter voice.

Percy stood completely still. "I uh…I don't know what happened. Are you going to kick me out?" Callais laughed, shaking her head.

"No, of course not. We don't turn away campers. This is a safe place for you. The only safe place for you. But what did Clarisse say to you, if she said anything? I would like to know." She told him.

Percy fidgeted with his thumbs as they walked to the very back of the stables to the largest stall. "If I tell you, you're going to say something to her. I know how this stuff works."

She said no. "That's not how I work, Percy. I may be your patron goddess, but I will not coddle you. I just want to know what she said to you. Clarisse always gives new campers a hard time." She was there to protect them, not baby them.

He looked like he was thinking about his encounter with the daughter of Ares very seriously. "She said 'there's no way he's Big Three material.' I don't know what that means."

Callais bit on the inside of her lip as she opened the door to Mortem's stall. "Hello boy." She smiled, petting his mane.

"That thing is huge." Percy marveled.

_Thing? Is this kid joking? _Mortem snorted.

Callais grinned. "Easy, boy. He's new. Has Luke been to see you today?"

_That idiot just doesn't give up, you know. Came to see me three times a day while you were gone! Always bringing me apples and sugar cubes. I'm starting to like that kid._

She laughed. "What's Big Three mean?" Percy asked her.

Callais grabbed the brush from the wall and started to brush out the dark hair of Mortem's mane. "The Big Three is what the campers call the three most powerful gods. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Don't worry about being one of their kids. They don't have any children anymore."

"Why not?"

She sighed and moved onto Mortem's glossy coat. "World War Two was a war between their children. At the end, they signed a pact that agreed none of them would have any more half-blooded children. Their children are more powerful than other demigods. They put off a more potent scent that attracts more monsters. They usually don't have pleasant fates." She explained to him.

"Oh." Was all he said.

She didn't want to talk about this anymore. If she did, she would eventually bring up the Great Prophecy and how Percy was more than likely a child of Zeus, Hades or Poseidon. And she didn't want that. She wanted to know for sure before she said anything to him.

"Annabeth said she wants me on her team for capture the flag." He informed her.

Callais grinned. "Oh, that's fantastic, Percy! I think you'll enjoy capture the flag." He was making friends. And Annabeth was a good friend to have. She gave Mortem two sugar cubes and told Percy it was time to leave.

"Annabeth also said something to me about the summer solstice. What is that?" He asked.

By the gods. "It's nothing you need to be worried about, Percy. Now, why don't you go back to your cabin and get cleaned up for dinner? I'm sure you're starving."

She walked him back to the Hermes cabin. He stared at her. "Why didn't you have demigod children?" He asked before going inside.

She gave him a sincere smile. "I do, Percy. All of them are my children. I'm a mother to every demigod child."

In the dinner pavilion, there were only thirteen tables. One for each of the cabins. Dionysus sat at the twelfth table with Grover and his two sons while Chiron stood to the side.

Callais sat at table thirteen by herself, a glass of nectar in her hand. Chiron stomped against the marble flooring. "To the gods!" He shouted, raising his own glass.

All of the campers followed his suit and Callais took a drink solemnly. She watched the nymphs take food to the tables and the campers begin devouring their food as always. And then the offerings. Percy looked confused, but Luke led him and told him what was happening.

That was the reason she fell in love with him. He was kind to everyone, no matter what.

The smell of the offerings intoxicated her. She closed her eyes.

Chiron stomped against the flooring and Dionysus stood. "I've been reminded to remind you that capture the flag will take place on Friday and that cabin five currently holds the laurels." He announced. "We also have a new camper, Peter Johnson." Chiron whispered something to him. "I mean, Percy Jackson. Now, go on to your campfire."

The campers cheered and hurried to the amphitheater. Callais stood and walked over to Chiron. "You've heard about what happened to Percy this afternoon?" She asked quietly.

He nodded. "You must let him figure things out on his own, my child. You know that."

"Do you know what I think is weird, Chiron? I had never heard about Percy until we met him. Which means, I have no idea who his father is. Why would his father keep that a secret?" She questioned.

Chiron put a hand on his shoulder. "We wait until he is claimed."

They sat on the dock, their feet hanging off the edge and into the water. "Are you coming to sword lessons today?" Luke asked as a fish swam by.

She said of course. "I always come to sword lessons, Luke. Someone has to beat you." She grinned and he laughed.

She arrived to the arena just as they were putting their armor on. "Hey Callais!" Connor Stoll waved enthusiastically.

She waved back. "Hi, Connor."

"Are you dueling with Luke today?" He asked her.

Her eyes sparkled. "I wouldn't call it dueling, Connor. He can't keep up."

From behind her, Luke laughed. "You've got a few millennia more practice than I do, Cal. I mean, you learned from the gods of battle strategy."

She snorted. "I didn't learn from them. They gave me the ability. You need to brush up on your mythology, Luke." She laughed. "I'm going to go sit and watch now. Maybe I'll even commentate." She sat on the sides, watching the Hermes campers learn from Luke.

And Percy. He did alright. His reflexes led him through it and he was quick, but he couldn't handle a sword.

"Alright. Time to partner up. Percy, you can be my partner." Luke told them.

A few of the campers 'oohed.'

"Ha! Have fun! Luke's the best swordsman at camp!" Someone warned Percy.

Callais left her seat to stand in the dirt with the campers. Luke called a break twenty minutes later. The campers flooded the drinks cooler and Luke walked over to her.

"He's okay, huh?" Luke pointed out. "Needs a better sword, but he does alright." She nodded. "You want me to go easy on him, don't you?"

She said no. "He won't learn that way."

Luke said she was right. "Okay guys, circle up! I'm gonna show you guys something, if Percy doesn't mind not being my partner for a few minutes." Percy seemed eager to get a break.

The other campers seemed nervous. If Luke wasn't sparring with Percy, he was sure to pick one of them. "Don't worry. I'm going to be Luke's partner." Callais assured them. They seemed to relax.

Her armor appeared, shimmering Imperial gold. She took the ring off of her ring, letting it transform into her sword. "Go easy on me, Cal." Luke suggested nicely.

"Never." She smiled back. Luke stretched his arms.

"We're going to demonstrate a disarming technique. It's a bit difficult." For him, maybe. They did the maneuver in slow motion and Callais let her sword fall to the ground. "Now, for real." He told her. She smirked as they got ready to actually spar. Her brain worked out the way he was going to move, she knew him better than he knew himself. She disarmed him in a matter of seconds.

"I'm not the ideal person to spar with." She told them. "I'll know your moves before you do. Percy, why don't you try it with Luke?"

He held back a groan, she knew it. But he stepped forward anyways. Her armor disappeared and she ran her finger across the hilt of her sword, it sliding back onto her finger as a ring. She watched them spar and Percy's sword fell to the ground.

"Let's try again." Luke said easily.

This time, it was different. Percy seemed to know what was going on. And then it happened. Luke's sword fell from his hand. The tip of Percy's sword was inches from Luke's chest.

"Enough." Callais stated.

Luke shook his head quickly. "Oh no. We're trying that again! That was amazing!" He grinned at Percy. They did it again but it was Percy's sword who fell. Luke looked at her. "I wonder what he could do with a balanced sword…"

"Are you playing capture the flag tonight?" Chiron asked her.

She said no. "I'd rather watch. It's more interesting." She told him. "Besides, it isn't fair if I join in. Then Hermes is certain to win every time." She smiled.

The pavilion was crowded with half-bloods and excitement. Three children of Athena carried in their flag and three children of Ares carried theirs.

Callais stood. Tonight was a time when Chiron let her direct capture the flag. "The blue team consists of Athena, Hermes and Apollo. The red team consists of Ares, Demeter, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Hephaestus. You all know that the boundary line is the creek and the entire forest is fair grounding and also, all magical items are legal." She took a deep breath. "No more than two guards for your flag, which must be out in the open." She shot a glance at the Ares kids. They were sneaky little things.

"Don't forget about the prisoners." Chiron reminded her.

Her favorite warning. They liked to rough each other up sometimes. "Oh, yes. The prisoners. Disarm them. Don't tie them up or gag them. Don't harm them. You all know the rules and if you don't, start learning." She sighed. "Now, arm yourselves." Callais smiled as the tables were suddenly covered with armor and weapons.

"Why don't you go join them? Just for the night? I know you want to." Chiron prodded. She did enjoy the game…

Her armor appeared over her shirt. "I think I will, Chiron." She drew her sword and walked to join the blue team. "Who's ready to win?" She asked them.

At once, they all cheered. Luke's grin seemed to take up his whole face. "This should be considered cheating." He told her, strapping his armor on.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you complaining, Castellan?"

He said no immediately. He handed Percy a helmet and a shield. "Try not to get injured, kid. You're on border patrol." He informed him.

Callais watched the twelve year old put on his helmet and strap his shield to his arm. "Blue team! March on!" Annabeth yelled. Callais didn't join the campers as they cheered and shook their weapons in the air.

"Hey, stay with Percy this time around. Make sure he doesn't get killed." Luke suggested to her. She frowned. "He's new. He needs you." He reminded her. Her face softened. "Also, kick some Ares butt." He kissed her cheek and jogged off.

She looked over at Percy. "Come on. I'm with you." She told him. Callais took him to the edge of the creek. "How are you liking camp, Percy?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not really good at anything. I talked to Luke about it. He said I might be from Hermes or a minor god or goddess. I just think you guys were wrong about me."

Oh. She could feel it. He was hurting. Everything was building up inside of him. The loss of his mother, the absence of his father, not belonging at camp.

"First of all, there's no minor gods. They're all important. They all have something important to bring to the world. Remember that. Just because you don't know as much about them as the others doesn't mean they're minor." She told him. He nodded glumly. "And second, you're forgetting who you're talking to. Hello, Percy Jackson. I'm the goddess of demigods. I know you're a demigod. I can feel it. It doesn't matter who your godly parent is. What matters is how you use your abilities that were given to you. And never give up."

His face seemed to lift. "You're really good at pep talks." He mumbled.

She smiled happily.

Callais watched the way he held his sword. He held it the way he had been holding the previous ones. "They still haven't found you a balanced sword, then? I'll look tomorrow." She promised.

Percy frowned. "You don't have to be so nice to me. I know you're trying to make up for the last time."

She squinted at him. "What are you talking about?"

He looked down at the ground. "I uh, I looked at a few books. I know what happened to you when you were human. What Perseus did to you." His voice was quiet.

Her golden eyes were slits. "I suggest you don't bring that up again, Percy Jackson. I'm not a person you want to upset. Surely you learned that from my story."

The conch horn blew somewhere in the distance. An Apollo camper ran past them, spear in hand. Her ears twitched. She looked into the trees. Nothing but fireflies. Then she heard it. A growl.

"Did you hear that?" Percy whispered to her.

She nodded slowly. She felt it, low in her gut. And then it was gone.

And then the trees exploded with campers. Ares campers.

"Cream him!" Clarisse shouted at her brothers. Her spear was tight in her hand, the barbed tip shimmering with red.

They charged across the stream towards Callais and Percy. He looked at her, eyes wide. She stepped back, avoiding the sword of one of the campers. A sword was thrusted at her and she blocked it.

"I wouldn't." She warned. While she was fighting off the four boys, Clarisse was closing in on Percy. The daughter of Ares jabbed at him with her spear and he blocked it with his spear. Callais looked over her shoulder. "It's electric! Watch yourself!"

He fell back and hit the ground as one of Clarisse's brothers shoved into him. The five Ares campers laughed. Callais sighed and dropped her stance. "Alright. You've beat him." Callais decided.

"Oh no. Not yet. He needs a haircut." Clarisse told her. Percy stood up on wobbly legs. He raised his sword but Clarisse knocked it out of his hand. "Gods, you're real scary, Jackson." Clarisse laughed.

He backed away from her slowly, inching towards the creek. Callais knew she couldn't intervene, not yet anyways. Percy would have to be hurt for that to happen. And she was sure that Clarisse wouldn't hurt him, not with her there.

The tip of her spear jabbed him where his ribs would have been and her brothers' sword slashed across Percy's arm. Blood immediately started to stain his shirtsleeve.

"Enough." Callais said, her voice rolling like thunder. The three boys stared at her. "This is over. Now leave." Percy fell into the creek bed with a small splash. Callais' sword fell onto her finger as a ring and she went to his side.

"I'm okay." He said quietly. She frowned as he stood up. One of the Ares boys went towards Percy and Percy knocked his sword against his head, his helmet flying off as he fell into the water. Percy fought off two of the other boys and the other never moved.

Clarisse thrusted her spear at him, but he deflected strongly. Callais' eyes widened as the electric spear broke in half.

"I'm going to ki-!" Her sentence was cut short when Percy hit her between the eyes with the butt of his sword.

Callais looked at Percy. "Where in Hades did that come from?" She asked him.

He shrugged, grinning. Screams erupted from the forest. Happy screams. Luke was running towards them, the red banner held high above his head. He had campers behind him, Apollo and Hermes, fighting off some Hephaestus campers.

Clarisse rubbed her forehead. "It was a trick!" She yelled. Luke ran across the creek onto blue team territory. The red banner turned silver.

Luke handed the banner to someone and ran and hugged Callais. Annabeth appeared beside Percy, holding a baseball cap.

"It was a trap for Clarisse." Callais noted. Luke nodded. "You had me stay because you knew she would come for him." He nodded again.

"What happened to your arm?" Annabeth asked Percy.

Callais groaned internally. She needed to fix his wound. It was deep. She let go of Luke and walked over to Percy, picking up his arm. She stared in disbelief. No blood, no cut. Just barely a scratch that was fading quickly.

"Get out of the water." Annabeth told him. Percy looked at her and began to question it but stepped out anyways.

Her ears prickled. The growl. Again.

The howl that came after it silenced the clearing at the creek. "At the ready!" Chiron shouted as someone handed him his bow.

Callais drew her sword as she saw it on the rocks. The dog. No. The hellhound. It was staring right at them. The hound leapt. She threw her hand out, a gust of strong wind knocking Luke back away from her.

The hellhound landed on Percy, shredding at his armor. Callais looked back at Chiron and he gave her the go-ahead. She ran and thrusted her sword through the back of the hound's neck. It began to turn into yellow dust and the black blade of her sword absorbed it.

Chiron appeared beside her, bow in hand. "A hellhound."

"From the Fields of Punishment." Annabeth added.

"Summoned by someone from within the grounds." Chiron continued.

Callais stared at Percy, blood flowing from under his breastplate. "Get in the water." Annabeth told him.

Percy tried to argue with her, but did as she said. His wounds were healing, just from being in the water. The sign appeared over his head. A glowing green trident.

The ground beneath Callais' feet began to burn.

"This isn't good at all." Annabeth determined.

Campers began to kneel and Percy looked at Callais. "What's going on?" He mouthed.

She stood up straight. "Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon."

And then she disappeared.


	5. Chapter 4

She found him on the beach of a deserted island off the coast of India. He was shoeless, wearing worn shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, a fishing pole in hand.

"I was wondering when you would come." He said, noting her arrival. She stood beside him, arms crossed as he watched the ocean.

"Why?" She asked him.

Callais didn't realize how much Percy actually looked like his father until that moment when Poseidon looked down at her. They shared the same green eyes and jet black hair. She should have known sooner.

"I apologize for not telling you, child. But you understand why it had to be kept a secret." She said she didn't. "Sally was special to me. I wanted to stay with them once I learned that she was pregnant with my child. I've watched over him all these years."

She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make breaking the oath any better, Poseidon. You swore an oath on the River Styx to not sire anymore mortal children. And now you have a son, one who might be the fulfiller of the Great Prophecy. Or he could die. I don't think you realize the extremity of the mistake you've made." The waters turned dark, the clouds rolling overhead.

"Did you give Zeus this talk when that girl of his was discovered?"

Bringing up the girl was something not many people did anymore. "Yes, I did. And do you know what else I did? I mourned her death. I still mourn her death. Just as I still mourn all the others because they're as much my children as they are yours. I take care of them for you. I'm there for them because you idiots aren't. I'm there when you idiots don't have the common decency to pick up a phone or write a letter or send a postcard!"

It got to her. It always got to her.

"Callais, I apologize deeply. I know how much our children mean to you."

She sighed and looked out at the ocean. "I know you're sorry. I apologize for snapping at you." She breathed deeply.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "How have you been? But more importantly, how is that son of Hermes?"

Her cheeks turned bright red. "Please tell me that you don't just sit around up there and gossip about my love life." She shook her head.

He grinned at her. "Not all the time. I don't think you understand how important you are to us, Callais. You watch our children, you take care of them because we can't or we won't. But you're also our child. We all watched over you from the time you were born until you came to us that day you became immortal. You are so special to us, Callais." He told her.

But she didn't know why she was so special. From day one, she was special. But no one told her why. Or no one knew why. "This is why you've my favorite, Poseidon." She smiled shyly.

He scoffed. "Don't give me the false honor. Everyone knows that you favor Apollo." She rolled her eyes. "We all used to joke that the two of you were in love. Some still believe it." He said wistfully.

"You're kidding." He wasn't. "You do understand that he's like a brother to me. A very, very attractive brother, but still a brother." He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "And I'm in love."

"With Luke Castellan, son of Hermes." He pointed out. She said yes. "He's mortal, Callais. Mortals die."

She knew this. "Maybe….just maybe I would give it all up for him." She whispered.

He pulled her to his side for a brief hug. "I know, Princess. I know."

"Where is he?" She asked Grover. The satyr's legs shook. She raised her eyebrows.

"Cabin three. He's been there all morning." He told her.

Callais nodded. She made her way to cabin three and knocked on the door. "May I come in, Percy?" No answer. She pushed the door open and walked inside.

She had never been in cabin three. It looked exactly like something Poseidon would live in. He was sitting on the bed.

"You've been gone a few days." He mumbled.

"Time passes differently for me. A few minutes, for instance, happened to be a few days. I apologize for my absence. I'm sure you needed me here."

He shrugged. "It's been quiet. But I know people are talking about the hellhound. And you. You disappeared right after I was determined."

"I had to go see someone." She told him. He asked her who. "Your father."

He exhaled. "Did you know? That it was him?"

She said no. "I had a very strong feeling that you were a child of the 'Big Three', but I assumed it was Zeus. He had broken the oath before and he had a son named Perseus. It seemed to make sense. I should have known it was Poseidon, though. You two look incredibly similar."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. But let's not dwell on it. How have your sword lessons been?" He told her he only had one-on-one with Luke, instead of group. "That's great. Speaking of, I need to go see him now that I'm back. We'll talk more later."

She walked towards the door. "Did my dad mention me at all?" He asked quietly.

She glanced back at him. "I'll see you at dinner, Percy."

Luke was at their dock, skipping rocks. "Was wondering when you were going to come back." He muttered, throwing another rock into the water.

"I had to speak to Poseidon. I'm sorry I didn't tell you first and that I was gone so long."

He turned to face her. "I wasn't even close to that hellhound and you still shoved me out of the way. Why?"

"I was scared. I couldn't let you get hurt again. I don't want you to die." It was a dangerous business. Being involved with a demigod. Their numbers were always going up.

"I'm mortal, Cal. I'll die at some point."

"Unless I don't let you." She muttered.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "You aren't allowed to do that. It's breaking every rule in the book and every rule you set for yourself."

She nodded slowly. "You're right."

"I know." He grinned.

Callais tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "Are we sure this big fuss is necessary?" She asked Dionysus.

"Are we sure the boy can't just disappear? He's going to die anyways." Dionysus retorted.

She narrowed her eyes, her hands burning imprints onto the table. "That isn't true, Dionysus. Grover is bringing him, correct?"

Chiron said yes and they should be here soon. As if on cue, the satyr and the demigod walked into the room.

"Well, look at that. Barnacle Beard's offspring. Sit down boy." Dionysus said. Percy looked at Callais and she nodded. "I would send you back to your father as a dolphin, but I'm apparently not allowed to do that or set fire to your molecules so I'm only left with one option." He looked at Chiron. "If he's here when we return, he will be a dolphin." He warned the centaur. He looked at Callais.

"I'll be there shortly. Don't worry." She said. He didn't reply, just picked up his security pass and disappeared.

Chiron told Grover and Percy to sit and they did. "Will you accept your quest, Percy?" Chiron asked him as Callais sat on the arm of the couch.

Percy's brow turned into a v shape. "I don't know what it is, sir."

Chiron nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid you don't. Callais?"

She looked at Percy.

"Is this about Poseidon and Zeus? They're fighting, aren't they?" He asked her. Chiron's eyes darkened and he asked him how he knew that. "I've been having these dreams and Annabeth said something about a theft."

"During Christmastime, the gods have their winter solstice gathering on Olympus. We took the camp there for a field trip. I went to Olympus a few weeks later. Zeus' master lightning bolt had been stolen. It's a two foot long weapon of celestial bronze stuffed full of massive explosives." She explained. "It's his weapon. The one bolt that the others come from. The one bolt that pushed Kronos off of his throne. That lightning bolt symbolizes the power of the gods and the war they went through to bring us to this."

"Who stole it?" Percy's voice was small, like he already knew what this was coming to.

"You did." Chiron told him.

His mouth fell open.

"Zeus believes this anyways, that's what I've been told." Callais continued. "Zeus and Poseidon got into an argument at the winter solstice, arguments I've been hearing for millennia. But it was after that Zeus realized his bolt was missing. He blamed Poseidon. The thing is, a god cannot take another god's symbol of power. Not directly. But a human hero could do it."

"But-." Percy started.

Callais held up her hand. "You've been claimed as his son. You were in New York during the winter holidays. Zeus believes you're his thief." Chiron told him.

"I don't even know where Olympus is! Zeus must be crazy!"

Outside, thunder boomed. "Watch the words you use to describe Zeus." Callais whispered. "I would say, paranoid, maybe. Poseidon has tried to overthrow him before. He isn't wrong to think that's what is happening again."

"Poseidon wouldn't actually do that though, would he? Have the bolt stolen?" He asked quietly.

Callais shook her head. "No, Percy. But Poseidon won't attempt to convince Zeus of that. Zeus has given the deadline to have the bolt returned: the summer solstice. Ten days from now. If it isn't returned by then, there will be war between the gods." Chiron explained.

Outside, it was raining. "Not good." Percy determined. "So, what? I find the bolt and return it to Zeus?"

"A perfect peace offering." Chiron told him.

Percy sighed. "So now what?"

"You need to accept the quest."

Callais and Grover nodded at Percy. He had to.

"Alright. I accept or whatever."

Chiron gave Callais the go ahead and she stood up. "I'll be back shortly. I have to go to Olympus. When I return, we'll talk more about everything." She told Percy.

She disappeared.

Olympus was a mess. Arguing, tension, not her favorite things about having everyone together.

"Callais! Finally!" Hera said, silencing the room. Everyone looked at her as she walked in. She adjusted the golden bracelet on her upper arm slowly.

"Did you begin without me?" She asked.

Hera said no. "Apollo only arrived a moment before you. But you're the last so we can begin now." She informed her.

Great, she thought. She was hoping to have missed most of it. But she knew her voice was needed at this consul.

"So you've finally claimed the thief, eh, brother?" Zeus' smile was grim, but challenging. He was daring Poseidon to reply.

Good old sibling rivalry at its finest. Callais took her seat beside Apollo.

"Perseus is my son, yes. But he is no thief. And neither am I, Zeus." Poseidon sounded weary. Callais presumed that he wouldn't try to unseat his brother, not after the last time.

"The solstice is in ten days. He has until then to return my bolt. And if he doesn't, I will kill him."

"And if you kill him, you'll be beginning a war that you won't win."

Callais cleared her throat. "May I speak?" She asked, mostly to Zeus. He nodded, giving her permission. "Percy accepted the quest. When I return to camp, we will leave to find the bolt."

Zeus raised his eyebrows. "You think he is innocent?" It was a dangerous thing, siding against Zeus. She would have to choose her words carefully.

"I believe everyone is innocent. I have to. Innocent until proven guilty." She said honestly.

His expression didn't change. "If you will."

"Also, if I may, you're both scaring the campers. Your anger reaches inside the borders. They're terrified. Some won't even leave their cabins some mornings. If you could tone it down, it would be appreciated."

Zeus and Poseidon both agreed, surprisingly, to try to keep their heads on.

"You're hiding something. What is it?" Artemis asked her softly.

"There was an incident a few days ago, right before Percy was claimed. A hellhound somehow made it into the grounds."

There were whispers, gasps, shocked expressions.

"That isn't possible. They can't just get inside the camp. It's protected." Athena pointed out.

Callais nodded. "Dionysus, Chiron, nor I allowed it inside. Which means it was summoned by a camper."

Zeus' chest seemed to stick out a little bit. "Well, it could have been your delinquent son, Poseidon."

Callais stopped Poseidon from answering. "No. The hellhound attacked him. It was there for him and him only. I killed it, thankfully, before too much damage was done. Its spirit is inside my sword now."

"You're doing well on earth, child." Zeus praised her.

Dionysus snorted.

"You are dismissed. Tell us when you arrive back to the camp." Hera said.

Dismissed early from a consul? Unusual. She stood up and bid farewell to her fellow immortals. Hera smiled tightly. Callais walked out of the throne room, sneaking behind a column beside the door.

"She needs to know." The voice belonged to Apollo.

Hera said no immediately.

"She is right, Apollo. It will crush her spirit. She'll never trust us again." Zeus said gently.

"Callais deserves to know who she really is." Apollo countered.

She left Olympus before she heard something she didn't want to hear.

Luke was waiting for her in the Big House. Someone had told him. Someone that wasn't her and he was not happy.

"You could have at least told me." He grumbled.

She frowned and touched his hand tentatively. "I'm sorry. There wasn't time. This is a quest of the utmost urgency. You know that."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to go, Cal. He has Annabeth and Grover. You know the number is three." He reminded her.

She sighed and sat him down on the couch. "Luke, listen to me. I'm doing this for you. That's very selfish of me and I try very hard not to be selfish. If this bolt isn't returned in ten days, you are all going to die. And I refuse to let you die on me."

He smiled a small smile and kissed her cheek. "I don't know how I could ever stay mad at you, Cal."

"Besides, something weird is going on. Hades' helm of darkness was stolen as well. I think that someone is setting Percy up. Someone wants a war. I need to find out who it is."

He agreed with her.

"Callais! Time to leave!" Chiron called.

She jumped up and pulled Luke up with her. She flung her arms around him. "I love you, Luke. I'll be back soon. I'll call you as often as possible."

Their lips met briefly before she ran out the door. Her face was flushed as she met her group at the top of the hill.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" She breathed heavily. "Hi, Argus." She smiled.

He nodded at her.

"Wait! Wait!" Luke shouted, running up the hill.

Callais blinked as Chiron casted her a very confused look. "Luke? What are you doing? We need to leave." She said.

"Just needed to tell you guys good luck. And give you these, Percy." He handed Percy a pair of basketball sneakers. Callais kept the grimace from her face. "_Maia_!" Luke said happily.

White wings sprouted from the shoes and Percy dropped them in shock. The shoes tried to fly around before eventually giving up.

Luke grinned. "My dad gave me those before my own quest. I don't use them so much anymore but I figured you might be able to. Just in case, or something." He scratched the back of his neck.

Percy's cheeks went red. "Wow, man. Uh, thanks. Really." He said.

Luke nodded. "Don't let Cal kill all the monsters okay? Get a few for yourself. And uh, keep an eye on her for me."

Callais cleared her throat. "I am right here." She grumbled. Luke gave Annabeth a goodbye hug, patted Grover on the horns and shook Percy's hand before kissing her on the lips. They had never kissed in front of people before.

"Man, I bet the Stolls wish they had gotten that one." Annabeth laughed.

The bushes rustled. "Oh, don't worry! We did!" Travis Stoll yelled from the trees. "Non-flash camera! The Hephaestus kids work magic!"

Luke groaned. He kissed her forehead and disappeared after the Stoll twins. Callais crossed her arms nervously.

"You can't use those shoes, Percy." She said. "If you've got both your feet off the ground at the same time, Zeus will take a chance."

His face darkened for a second but lightened right back up. "Hey Grover, how about some flying shoes?"

They laced the sneakers up on Grover's hooves and the shoes took off after the magic word. He was grinning madly.

"Here, Percy. I believe you'll need this." Chiron handed Percy a ballpoint pen. Percy glanced at Callais. She nodded encouragingly. "It's from your father. He told me I would know who to give it to when the time was right."

Callais watched as the pen transformed into a double edged sword. "Anaklusmos." Callais whispered.

"Riptide." Percy said in English. She was impressed as his translation. Percy put the cap back on the tip of the sword and it went back to being a pen.

"Don't worry. You can't lose it. It will always come back to you." Chiron told him. Callais stayed as Percy went to the SUV. "Watch over him, Callais. Watch over them all. The world needs demigods now more than ever."

"Keep an eye on Luke. And don't let Dionysus be so awful to the children." She smiled. He embraced her. "Chiron, do you know anything about me that I don't?" She asked, recalling the tidbit of conversation she overheard on Olympus.

He said no. "I know you just as well as you know yourself. Now, get going. You've got a quest to fulfill."

She kissed his cheek and went down the hill to get into the SUV. She climbed in beside Percy and shut the door. "Ready to go, Argus."

It was sunset when they arrived at the Greyhound Station in Manhattan. Callais said good-bye to Argus quickly and he drove off.

Percy was staring at a HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY poster with his face on it. She waved her hand, causing it to disappear.

"Don't need anyone seeing that, do we?" She whispered as he looked back at her with amazement. He looked around at the apartment buildings across the street. "Something wrong?"

He didn't say anything. "His apartment is over there." Grover told her. She bit her lip and said they needed to get going. "I can tell you why she married him, Percy." Grover said. Percy said nothing. "She did it for you. His smell is so…overwhelming that it masked the smell of you, a powerful demigod." He explained.

It started raining. "Is that you?" Percy asked Callais. She said it wasn't.

"Bus won't run for a little while." Annabeth reported. Callais sat down on the bench and took out a tablet of some sort.

"We aren't supposed to have technology." Percy told Annabeth. "Chiron said something about monsters being able to track us through it."

Annabeth shook her head, clearly amused by him. "It's her way of keeping up with everyone. Every demigod and their parents. I think it keeps her sane."

Callais swiped through several pictures of older children to pictures of small ones. She suppressed a smile.

"Are those half-bloods too?" Percy asked, sitting next to her.

She nodded. "They're only a few years old. This one," she showed him a picture of a four year old boy with bright eyes, a playful grin and sandy blonde hair, "his name is Tyler. He's a son of Apollo. His mother's name is Greta, she's a musician." She swiped again. The next kid was a girl who had to be fifteen. She had dark black hair and stunning blue eyes. "This is Thalia."

"You mean…?"

She nodded. "As in, girl who got turned into a tree. I didn't know about her until she was ten or eleven. Her mom was a movie star or something. That's why I assumed you were a son of Zeus. He'd broken the oath before."

"So did you set up Luke's parents?" He asked.

She snorted. "No. I would have done it differently though. Maybe."

"The bus is here!" Annabeth sighed, relieved. Callais stood up and put her tablet in her backpack. They stood in line, Grover in front then Annabeth, then Percy and Callais in the back. Safety measure.

Callais saw the way Grover was sniffing the air. "Grover?" Callais whispered.

He looked back, clearly the only one who heard her quiet question. He shook his head, saying it was nothing. They were both on edge. They had two demigods, outside of camp, who had extremely strong smells.

They got on the bus, finding two seats at the back of the bus. Annabeth sat with Callais and Grover sat with Percy. They kept their backpacks on their laps. Annabeth was clutching her Yankees cap nervously.

"Callais." She murmured.

She looked up. Three old ladies were boarding the bus. And one of them looked exactly like the math teacher from Yancy. The old ladies sat down in the front row of seats behind the driver.

"Kindly Ones." She hissed.

"Can we get out of the windows?" Annabeth asked quietly.

"No." Grover replied bleakly.

"Any back exits?"

None.

Callais wrung her hands together. They weren't supposed to run into any problems this soon. The tunnel was coming up fast.

"Callais, will they attack with witnesses?" Percy asked her softly.

She said definitely. Inside the tunnel, the bus went dark. The only light was the small yellow ones running down the aisle.

"I need to use the restroom." One of the old ladies said, standing up. The other two repeated her statement.

In a row, they started walking towards the back of the bus.

"Give Percy my hat." Annabeth whispered, shoving her cap into Callais' hands. Callais passed the baseball cap to Percy and he looked over at them. "You're the one they want. Put on the cap and get off the bus."

"But-."

"They may not even notice us. But Callais will have to go too. They'll know her." Annabeth explained.

Percy looked down at the cap. "We both can't be invisible at the same time."

"Don't worry about me. I can get past them."

Percy put the hat on and disappeared. Callais stood up.

"Keep your heads down. I'll get you off as soon as Percy's off the bus."

"How?"

She bit her lip and twisted the ring around her finger. "He won't like it but…I can fight them off." And like that, she disappeared. She made it to the front of the bus. "Percy?"

Someone grabbed her elbow. An invisible person.

And then the wailing started. Callais looked back, now completely visible. The Furies were in their real form. "Where is it? Where is it?"

"He's gone!" Annabeth shouted back.

"Go. Go now. Meet me outside of the tunnel in fifteen minutes." Callais said to Percy, shoving him towards the entrance.

She felt him moving. When she was sure he was gone, she started towards the back. The bus swerved and she grabbed a seat to balance herself. Percy. The bus swerved again, hitting the side of the tunnel.

It was a mess. Rain, screams, cars slamming into the side of the bus as it veered off the highway. The wheels screeched as the bus tried to stop and hit a pair of trees on the side of the road.

"Hey!" Percy shouted, completely visible.

Callais groaned. Idiot.

The three Furies started walking up the aisle, forgetting about Annabeth and Grover.

"Perseus Jackson, you are going to die." The Mrs. Dodds Fury hissed, cracking her whip towards him.

Annabeth and Grover were moving up the aisle as well. Percy drew his sword.

"Submit, Perseus Jackson."

Callais' ring turned into her sword. The Fury's whip curled around Percy's hand and yanked him forward. The hilt of his sword swung into Tisiphone's side and she fell backwards over a seat. He shoved the sword into Megaera's neck. The Fury exploded into yellow dust. Annabeth grabbed Alecto by the neck and held her while Grover grabbed the whip. Percy killed Tisiphone.

Grover tied Alecto's legs up in her whip and Annabeth let her fall to the floor of the bus.

"Zeus is going to destroy you!" Alecto warned.

The thunder was deafening. The two demigods and the satyr looked at Callais.

"Off the bus. Now. Now!" She said, letting them in front of her. The four of them ran off the bus.

"Our bags!" Grover reminded her. She looked back at the bus just as it exploded. Lightning.

Callais grabbed Percy and Annabeth by the arms. "We need to get out of here."

"I don't think luck gets much worse than this." Grover mumbled as another raindrop went in his eye. "I mean, all three of them. All at once."

"All of our stuff was on that bus." Percy mumbled.

"You shouldn't have tried to be a hero." Annabeth countered.

Callais looked up at the sky. The rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon. She sighed heavily. Grover was trying to find a particular song on his reed pipes but he wasn't doing so hot.

Percy starting walking beside her. "How long have you and Luke been together?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Few years, I guess. Really ever since he came to camp but…"

"Feels like forever?"

She laughed, nodding. "Sure."

"You smell that?" Percy moaned.

She sniffed the air and her nose crinkled. "Oh gods. What is that?"

"Smells good!" Percy grinned.

Callais covered her nose. Whatever that food was, it smelled absolutely disgusting. But Percy was human. Mortal. It probably smelled delicious to him.

Across the road was a shop with a neon sign. "We can suffer a stop, I suppose. You all need food."

Percy was squinting at the sign.

"It says Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Grover told him.

"Well, let's go. I bet they have a snack bar!" Annabeth seemed delighted. She and Percy darted across the road.

Callais and Grover looked at each other. "This place seems weird." The satyr mumbled.

"They need food. Only for a few minutes. And then we leave." She promised. The two of them walked across the road. The door was flanked by two garden gnomes. There were cement statues littering the whole outside of the store.

"This one looks a lot like my Uncle Ferdinand." Grover pointed at a cement satyr playing a pair of reed pipes. He sniffed around. "I think I smell monsters." He started to shake.

"Don't be silly. Your nose is all stuffed from the Kindly Ones." Annabeth dismissed.

The door opened slowly. A tall dark skinned woman stood in front of them, only her hands were visible. "Where are your parents, children?" She sounded from the Middle East. Callais stared at her.

"We're orphans, ma'am." Percy was quick on his toes.

The woman put her hand to her chest. "Oh, surely not!"

Percy glanced back at Callais. "We've been separated from our circus caravan. The ringmaster said something about meeting him at a gas station but we went there and he isn't there. Do I smell food?" He stood on his toes to look past her.

The woman clasped her hands together. "Well, you must come in then. I'm Aunty Em. There's a dining area, just go straight back through the warehouse." She stepped aside to let them in.

The warehouse was chock full of statues. Grover had been right. The place was creepy. Aunty Em had told the truth. The dining area was at the back of the warehouse.

"Sit please and I will make you some food. Do any of you have any particular allergies or dining habits?"

The four of them sat at one of the picnic tables. Grover and Callais both said they were vegetarians. Grover, being a satyr, didn't eat meat and Callais didn't eat food that was bad for her body.

"But, we don't have any money, ma'am." Grover told her.

"Do not worry, my children. It is my special treat for my special orphans." Her voice sounded like she was smiling, but the veil over her face made it hard to believe.

Annabeth thanked her graciously. Aunty Em stiffened but went right back what she was doing.

"Oh don't worry Annabeth. I say, your grey eyes are simply wonderful."

Callais' eyes narrowed. Ten minutes later, Aunty Em was serving Annabeth and Percy double cheeseburgers, fries and vanilla shakes.

Grover leaned over to Callais. "I hear hissing." Her ears strained and she heard what he was, a faint hissing noise.

"Hissing, you say? It must be from the deep-fryer." Aunty Em sat down and watched Annabeth and Percy eat.

Callais folded her arms together.

"So, you sell statues. How's business?" Percy asked, finishing his burger.

Aunty Em laughed softly. "Oh, I love my statues. It's popular, very popular. But ever since the highway was built….I have to cherish all my customers, they are so few and far between now." Her tone was genuinely melancholy. "As you can see though," she said as Percy observed the statue of a girl behind him, "most do not turn out correctly. The face is very difficult."

"So you make them all yourself?"

She nodded. "I used to have help. My two sisters helped me before they passed on. I am so alone now, so I make my statues to keep me company."

Callais stared, trying to see past the dark black veil that covered her face. Something was wrong here. Two sisters. Statues. What was she missing?

"Mine is a very sad story, children. Not one that you should here. But you, Callais, you and Grover are older than you look, aren't you?"

She sat up straight. She didn't remember telling her name.

"This bad woman was very envious of me when I was younger. I had a very handsome boyfriend and she was set on ruining our relationship. The woman did something very bad to me, but my sisters stayed by my side through it all. But soon enough, they left me. Just as everyone does."

Percy's face softened. "I'm so sorry." His head was drooping, his eyelids falling.

"Percy, wake up." Callais snapped. "We really should get going. The ringmaster will be getting worried about us." She stood up, brushing off her pants.

"Oh, it has been a long time since I've seen grey eyes like yours, Annabeth." Aunty Em said wistfully, but there was something else under her tone. Hatred. "And your eyes, Callais, yes they are quite a stunning color of gold. It's like lava, moving around."

Callais tensed. She shouldn't have been able to tell if her eyes were gold. They should have appeared hazel, or brown. Aunty Em reached out to touch Annabeth's cheek but the girl stood.

"Callais is right. We should get going."

"Right." Grover stood. "The ringmaster is waiting!"

Aunty Em sighed. "Oh, don't go so soon! I very rarely get such sweet children like yourselves! Will you at least sit for a pose before you go?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked.

Aunty Em nodded. "Just for a photograph. I will model a statue after my special orphans!"

Annabeth looked at Callais and she shook her head. "We really can't. We need to go." Annabeth told her.

"We can sit for one pose." Percy countered. Callais narrowed her eyes. "There's no harm in sitting for a photo."

"None at all." Aunty Em echoed.

Grover tugged on Callais' elbow. "It smells really bad in here." He muttered.

"Fine. One photo." Callais caved. She twisted the ring on her finger.

The old woman seemed to perk up. She led them to the front door of the warehouse and sat them down on a bench next to the stone satyr. "Alright, children! Percy, Grover sit on the sides of little Annabeth. Hm, Callais, how about you sit next to Percy?" They did as they were told.

"This isn't a lot of light for a photo…." Percy commented.

"We only need to see each other, dear." Grover asked where her camera was. She didn't answer him. "Now remember, children. The face is the most difficult, so give me nice big smiles!"

Grover looked to his side. "That really looks like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover. This way." Aunty Em snapped. "Oh, I can't see in this stupid veil."

"Something's wrong." Annabeth said.

"Nothing is wrong, Annabeth. Not with the noble company I have."

"That is totally Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover bleated nervously.

Hissing. Statues. Two sisters. It clicked.

"Look away!" Callais shouted. Annabeth's cap was on her head instantly and she vanished. Callais jumped behind the bench and Annabeth shoved Grover and Percy to the side. The two boys fell to the ground.

Percy's face was looking up. "No, Percy!" Annabeth hissed.

Snakes. Callais heard snakes. Medusa. Gods, she hated Medusa.

"Please stay with me, Percy. You are so kind to me. All you must do is look up." Medusa cooed. "And you, Callais. You can stay too. We were both betrayed by that monster, Perseus. But he gave us so much. We are both immortal now. And powerful. Think of how powerful we can be together!"

Callais stood up, covering her eyes with her face.

"Athena made me like this, Percy! She made me hideous!" Medusa cried out.

What she was about to do was really stupid. But it was her job to protect Percy and Annabeth. Even Grover. So she was going to do that.

"How could I ever stay with you, Medusa?" Callais called to her. "I've got something you don't. I got to keep what you didn't. My beauty!" The snakes grew restless with her comment. "And I got love. Who could ever love a monster like you? No one. That's why you keep these statues here. Because they can't tell you that you're hideous, inside and out."

She could hear Medusa coming towards her. "How dare you insult me, you stupid little girl? Percy, please stay with me!"

"No." He sounded groggy.

She hissed. "How could you want to help the gods? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, child! Become one of my statues. There is much less pain."

"Duck!" Grover shouted from…somewhere. Callais fell to the ground. She heard a loud _thump_ and winced. She hoped he did something right.

"You will pay for that!" Medusa shrieked. Another _thump_. Callais had to get them out of here. It was the only hope for the world. She stood up and ripped off the sleeve of her shirt. She tied it around her eyes and took off her ring. The sword felt like it always had, balanced and right.

When they got to the Underworld, she would release Medusa's soul into the deepest pit in Tartarus. She heard a crash and a groan from Grover.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, would you Percy?" Medusa crooned.

"Don't listen to her Percy!" Grover shouted. Where were they? Surely they couldn't be that far away.

She stopped, letting her senses take over. She could hear Percy's elated breathing about twenty feet away, the hissing of snakes close to him. Then she heard something cut through flesh. Her stomach dropped. She took off her blindfold.

Percy was staring at a green ball, his sword covering in…monster something. She glanced down at his feet for only a second, a head with snakes for hair wriggling. The snakes slowed with each passing second.

She put the ring back on her finger. Annabeth wrapped the head in the black veil and picked it up. "Good job, seaweed brain." Her voice sounded shaken up. Callais didn't blame her.

"She's right. You did well." Callais breathed deeply. Percy put the head in two grocery sacks and the four of them sat at one of the picnic tables in the back.

"So it's your mom's fault." Percy sighed.

Annabeth rolled her eyes while Callais said no. "Poseidon and Medusa dated, way back when. Before I was even born. They met up in Athena's temple once, Medusa's sisters helped them sneak in. Athena turned the three sisters into monsters when she found out." She explained.

"What are we going to do with that head? We can't exactly carry it around." Grover asked.

Percy stood up, saying he would be back and he left. He came back minutes later with a box and set it open on the table. He dropped Medusa's head inside and started writing on a delivery slip. Callais watched as he wrote.

He was mailing the head to Olympus.

She cracked a smile. "They won't like that." She shook her head, laughing quietly. "Apollo might, but he's the only one with a sense of humor up there."

"Alright. We need to go. And find a new plan." Annabeth stated.

Callais agreed. The package disappeared as Percy put a few golden drachmas in the money pouch.

Using a bit of godly magic, Callais had graciously conjured up a medium sized tent and four sleeping bags, in case of rain and for sheer comfort.

"Can you use that magic all the time?" Annabeth asked her as Grover and Callais set up the tent.

The goddess scoffed. "No, unfortunately not. Someone will notice that their tent is gone, along with the sleeping bags. But I'll send them back once we get back to camp." She promised.

Once the tent was set up, Annabeth crawled in the tent, taking one of the blankets they had stolen from the gnome emporium and went to pass out in the tent. They had taken a backpack and stuffed it full of food.

Callais clapped Grover on the shoulder. "Go on to sleep. I can handle this." She told him. He shook his head and sat on the ground. Percy was sitting up against a tree, staring at the sky. Callais sat down next to him.

"Doesn't this just make you guys sad?" Grover whispered. They both looked at him. "All of this pollution. Doesn't it upset you? I mean, you can't even see the stars, the humans have polluted it so much."

Callais looked up. He was right. There was so much smoke from factories and cars that she couldn't see the stars. "It didn't used to be like this, you know. Before the Industrial Revolution, you could always count on seeing the stars." Callais sighed, leaning her head against the tree trunk.

"I bet it was really beautiful when you were human." Grover sounded wistful for a time he hadn't been alive for.

She nodded, smiling. "My father was a king. He expected a son when my mother became pregnant, as all kings do. But my mother always told me he seemed happier having a daughter, never asking for another child. Now, I think it was because I was a stubborn child." She laughed. She was still looking at the sky. "My father taught me everything. I never had a tutor. It was a big deal back then, a king taking his own time to educate his own child, a daughter nonetheless. But he did. And every night, he would take me out of the castle and we would ride to the nearest hill and he would teach me the constellations. And we would pray to the gods. He always prayed for the safety of our people and my mother. And he ended his prayer to Zeus and Hera, to always watch over me and take care of me when they no longer could."

"But yes, the skies were beautiful when I was a mortal." She told Grover. She raised her hand and flicked her wrist slightly. The patch of sky they could see through the tree tops became as clear as it was at camp. "That constellation, beside Cetus," she pointed to a cluster of stars, "it's called Aristos. And the one next to it is Eudoria. Zeus made those constellations after my parents died, to honor them."

"Zeus really liked your family." Percy mumbled.

She snorted, letting her arm fall to her side. "My father worshipped him. And my mother worshipped Hera. Zeus told me that he admired my father. And that's about as high a compliment you can get from him. Trust me." She smiled sadly.

She didn't realize how much she missed her mortal parents. She hadn't thought of them in a very long time. That scared her. She didn't want to forget them.

"This is the reason I want to find Pan, you know." Grover said. He'll restore the wild to what it used to be."

Pan. She hadn't heard that name in a while.

"What?" Percy laughed.

Grover glared at him. "The god of the wild, Pan! Why else would I want a searcher's license?" Grover bleated angrily.

Percy apologized lightly. "Tell me about your search."

Callais crossed her legs, readying herself for the epic story.

"He disappeared over two thousand years ago." Grover started. "This guy off the coast of Ephesos said that someone was yelling that Pan had died. And when the humans found out, they never questioned it. So they've just been casually ruining the wild ever since. But us satyrs, we serve Pan. We don't believe that he died. Only the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They go into the wild, hoping to find him and wake him from the sleep he's been in."

"So that's what you want to do?" Percy asked.

Grover nodded eagerly. "My dad and my Uncle Ferdinand were both searchers. But I'm gonna be the first one to come back alive." Grover promised him.

Percy's eyes widened. "The first?"

Grover said yes, taking out his reed pipes. "It's really dangerous out there, Percy."

Callais agreed with him. "If I ever go missing, don't go looking for me. Just tell Zeus to find another mortal to turn into a goddess." She joked.

"Callais, how exactly are we getting into the Underworld? I mean, what chances do I have against a god?" Percy asked quietly.

She looked over at him.

"You don't know?" Grover questioned. Percy raised his eyebrows. "Callais and Hades are actually pretty close."

Percy looked at her, slightly afraid.

She shrugged. "I'm the only one who treats him with respect. Everyone else looks down on him. All they see is the god of death. I see someone who drew a sucky lot after a bad war. I see someone who is confined to the Underworld. He's…."

"Misunderstood?" Percy guessed.

She nodded. "Yes, if that's the word you would like to use. But I like him. He's part of the reason I have my sword, you know? When I was really new up in Olympus, Zeus went to the Cyclops forges and told them to make a sword worthy of a princess. Poseidon and Hades had done the same thing. So I ended up with the first and only triple-edged sword ever made. Imperial gold, celestial bronze and stygian iron."

She twisted the bone ring. "Why's it made of bone?" Percy asked.

Callais smiled. "You know what happened to me. Perseus was betrothed to me, he married Andromeda, I destroyed Aethiopa, the king sentenced me to death by Minotaur and the gods rescued me. Somehow, part of the Minotaur's horn came with me. So the hilt of my sword is made from that bone. It signifies my transition or whatever."

It went quiet for a long time. The only sound was crickets in the distance.

Sometimes, she regretted what she had done as a human. She had killed a lot of people. She had gone crazy, and all because of some hero. She swore off of men the day she became a goddess. She wanted to be like Artemis.

But then Luke came along. And she knew he was never going to hurt her like Perseus did. She knew instantly that he was different.

"Hey, Annabeth and I were talking about something on the way here." Grover recalled. Callais pulled herself out of her mind. She asked him what it was about. "We both said that something really weird was going on. Like, the Kindly Ones were holding back on the bus. And Mrs. Dodds didn't try to kill Percy at all. They weren't nearly as aggressive as they should have been."

Callais agreed with him. "I heard them say something too. They were asking where something was."

Grover nodded. "Yeah, me." Percy said.

"No," Callais protested. "It was an object. Not a person." No one knew. After a few moments, Percy said he was only going to the Underworld to get his mom back. "We all knew that, Percy. We aren't dumb. But get to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." She told him.

Percy climbed into the tent and Grover started playing a Mozart piece on his pipes.

"You don't talk about your mortal life often. But you do it a lot when Percy's around." Grover mentioned after a few minutes.

Callais looked over at the satyr. "I do it to make him feel better. Maybe you should get some sleep." She suggested.

He nodded, eyelids started to droop. He went to get in the tent. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened with-."

She cut him off. "It isn't your fault, Grover. I know that. And I apologize for yelling at you and making you feel inadequate. It wasn't kind of me. I realized I hadn't apologized for it in the five years that it's been."

He accepted her apology and got in the tent.

She desperately hoped this quest succeeded.

"Take it back, Grover Underwood." Callais paced between the trees.

Grover looked at her sadly, eyes begging as he cradled the small animal in his arms. "But Callais!"

"Absolutely not, Grover!" She said. "The last thing we need is a pampered pink poodle!" The dog yapped. She raised her eyebrows when Grover gasped. "What did that thing just say about me?"

His eyes where wide. "N-nothing."

"What's going on?" Percy groaned, crawling out of the tent.

"Calm down!" Grover told the dog.

Percy looked at Callais, clearly confused. "Is he talking to that thing?"

She nodded, hand on her forehead as she continued to pace back and forth.

"This dog is our ticket west!" Grover said enthusiastically.

Callais glared at him. "No."

"Say hello to Gladiola, Percy. Gladiola, this is Percy." Grover grinned.

Callais groaned loudly. This was getting ridiculous.

Percy shook his head. "I'm not saying hello to a pink dog."

He looked over at Annabeth, her face completely serious. "I said hello to him." She told him honestly. The dog growled and Percy greeted him solemnly.

"Gladiola ran away from his really rich family. They're offering two hundred dollars for his safe return. He says he'll go back if it means helping me." Grover explained.

Callais stared at him in disbelief. "Well, gods of Olympus, Grover! You didn't say that!" She balked. He shrugged sheepishly. "This makes things much better."

Annabeth agreed. "We turn the dog in, get the money and buy some tickets to L.A." She planned it in her head.

"Please no more buses." Percy begged.

Annabeth said no more buses. "There's an Amtrak station close. Gladiola said the west train leaves at noon."

"Then we leave now." Callais stated.


End file.
